Florida approves ban on puberty blockers, transgender surgeries for minors

On Friday, a joint committee made up of The Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine voted to approve the ban of puberty blockers and gender dysphoria treatments for minors.

The rule prohibits minors from getting cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and transgender surgery. In June, Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo requested that the Board of Medicine establish a standard for such “complex and irreversible procedures.”

The two boards did not agree on how to regulate minors in Florida who already started treatment with cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers. The Board of Osteopathic Medicine had the position that the treatments be allowed to continue in the case that they were a part of an Institutional Review Board approved clinical trial. The Board of Medicine opposed that position.

“Today, the Boards of Medicine & Osteopathic Medicine voted to protect our children from irreversible surgeries and highly experimental treatments,” said Ladapo on Friday, giving praise to the new rule. “I appreciate their integrity for ruling in the best interest of Florida children despite facing tremendous pressure to permit these risky and unproven treatments.”

“Children deserve to learn how to navigate this world without harmful pressure. Florida will continue to fight for kids to be kids,” added Ladapo.