The Florida State Senate passed a bill this morning that would ban doctors from performing transgender treatments on minors.
Senate Bill 254, which was backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, passed the GOP-held senate 27-12. In addition to preventing doctors from performing surgeries on anyone under the age of 18, the bill would also make it illegal for minors to take prescription-based cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria.
"This legislation sends a strong message that Florida is a safe place to raise children,” Sen. Clay Yarborough said when introducing the bill last month. “As the father of four young boys, I know that childhood is as special as it is short. Florida parents are worried about the radical, prurient agenda that has become pervasive across most forms of media, specifically targeting young children.”
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This bill now heads to the House, which also has a Republican majority. The House is also working on HB 1421, which would ban private, commercial insurance policies for reimbursing transgender treatments.
"We need to let kids be kids, and our laws need to set appropriate boundaries that respect the rights and responsibilities of parents, while protecting children from the serious health, safety, and welfare consequences of social agendas that are totally inconsistent with how the overwhelming majority of parents want to raise their children,” Yarborough added in his statement.
The news of the legislation passing comes just one day after DeSantis made comments regarding how Florida would deal with doctors who perform these surgeries on children:
DeSantis: In Florida, physicians who mutilate children with “gender affirming” treatments will lose their license to practice medicine. This is how it’s done.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 4, 2023
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