The Florida Board of Medicine just rolled out a new rule that puts the brakes on gender transitioning for kiddos in the state. That means if you’re not yet 18, you can say bye-bye to puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgeries to deal with gender dysphoria.
Now, for those who already hopped on the gender-affirming treatment train before Thursday, they can keep chugging along, but sex reassignment surgeries? Nuh-uh, no can do.
Southern Legal Counsel, a nonprofit legal squad, announced they’re gearing up to file a federal lawsuit to challenge Florida’s fresh ban. But, hold up! Their argument seems to be missing the point. This ain’t about slamming the door on trans folks and their healthcare; it’s about making sure young’uns don’t make permanent body changes before they’ve got the smarts to know what’s best for themselves.
Collin Rugg, with a tweet, echoed the worries of many people, including bigwig Elon Musk:
“Every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality & identity crystallizes. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.” The proposed bill is all about addressing this concern.
Elon Musk on child gender transition: “Every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality & identity crystallizes. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.”
Do you agree?
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 16, 2023
Florida’s Republican legislators are pushing for even tighter measures to shield minors from gender-affirming care. Their proposed bill would make it a felony to give gender-affirming care to minors and block state funds from covering the same care for grown-ups. The House companion bill would also put transgender healthcare front and center in custody battles in state courts.
The proposed bill lines up with concerns shared by many, including Elon Musk. This bill will outlaw certain gender-related clinical treatments for minors, like sex reassignment surgeries, puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and hormone-blocking therapies. The bill also bans using public funds for gender clinical interventions and changing the sex on a birth certificate, unless it’s a scribbler’s error or there’s some unresolvable ambiguity about a baby’s external biological sex characteristics at birth.
This ain’t about discrimination or hating on the transgender community; it’s about protecting kids from making life-changing decisions before they’re ready. Exceptions are in place for medically verifiable genetic disorders of sexual development, and doctors giving gender clinical interventions to adults have to snag and keep professional liability coverage.
We gotta put the safety and well-being of minors first, and this bill aims to do just that. It’s crucial to remember that kids are still growing, both in body and mind, and decisions about medical treatments should be left to fully-informed adults. It’s on us to make sure minors don’t make irreversible choices that they might regret down the line.
Source: TrendingPolitics