Late last month, I reported a joint legislative committee for Florida’s state medical boards has voted to advance a rule that would stop children under the age of 18 from receiving gender transitioning treatments.
The move followed a request from state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to devise rules to block medical professionals from providing such treatment for minors.
Now, two Florida medical boards are moving forward to make the ban a reality.
The Florida Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine approved a draft rule Friday to ban medical or surgical gender-affirming care for transgender individuals under 18.The rule will now go through a weekslong approval process following the board’s decision, which includes further public comment.The decision would prohibit puberty blockers, hormones, cross-hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for people under the age of 18.
Florida’s challenger for the governorship, Democrat Charlie Crist was asked about this development. His answer would be exactly as you’d expect.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team nailed Crist, defending the work of the state’s Surgeon General.
Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, slammed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist on Sunday after he criticized Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo over new information about COVID-19 vaccine.”Billboard lawyer who failed the bar twice thinks he knows more about science than a Harvard MD/PhD who was previously a professor at UCLA Medical School,” Pushaw said of Ladapo.Her comment came in response to Crist’s remarks about Ladapo, saying “our quack Surgeon General Ladapo is back with more misinformation. When I’m governor, I’ll appoint a surgeon general who isn’t a partisan ideologue and who will provide sound medical advice.”
It appears that Ladapo’s position will be safe and secure for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, the press is complaining that DeSantis is using this move to beef up his conservative credentials.
DeSantis has made criticizing such treatments for minors a routine part of his reelection campaign, often referring to the procedures in graphic terms during rallies and speeches. The new policy, finalized days before the election, marks another example of DeSantis’ ability to leverage the power of government to accomplish controversial political goals, bolstering his national reputation as a combative GOP culture warrior.The rule prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty-blocking, hormone and hormone antagonist therapies to treat gender dysphoria in minors. It bans sex reassignment surgeries or other surgical procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics in minors.“Today’s vote from the Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine will protect our children from irreversible surgeries and highly experimental treatments. I appreciate the integrity of the Boards for ruling in the best interest of children in Florida despite facing tremendous pressure to permit these unproven and risky treatments. Children deserve to learn how to navigate this world without harmful pressure, and Florida will continue to fight for kids to be kids,” Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in a statement.
The media is going to be very surprised at the extent of the conservative mandate on Nov. 8th, as angry parents vote in enormous numbers to support this type of legislation to protect their children.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY