The Florida Medical Board on Friday approved rules regarding the provision of treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy to transgender children and adults, implementing parts of a new law introduced by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The rule states that gender-affirming care is “purely speculative and the possible psychological benefits do not outweigh the substantial risks and, in many cases, lifelong need for treatment.” It contains an “informed consent” form containing the words “may”.
The document also states that “medical care for people with gender dysphoria is based on very limited and poor quality research, and some, but not all, research studies have shown little or no improvement in psychological functioning in some patients.” Only significant improvements can be seen.”
The recommendations on the form go against most experts’ claims about gender-affirming care and the research that supports it, that the treatment is medically safe, effective, and potentially life-saving. be.
Meredith McNamara, a professor of medicine at Yale University, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the language was “inflammatory, unnecessary, and not even true.”
“It is not unusual for young people and minors to undergo an informed consent process with their parents based on a structure similar to that in Florida. And what we are finally seeing is what we have long feared: a ban on juvenile care will make the utterly uncontroversial legal intervention in adult care more acceptable. It has become more accepted and accepted,” added McNamara, who specializes in adolescent medicine. .
“And what we are finally seeing is what we have long feared: a ban on juvenile care will make the utterly uncontroversial legal intervention in adult care more acceptable. , has become more favorable.”
Meredith McNamara
At a joint meeting of the State Medical Board and the State Osteopathic Medical Board on Friday, dozens of speakers opposed rules and modalities that included a vast list of risks associated with puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy.
“What you are proposing is not informed consent. Physician Michael Haller, professor and chief of endocrinology at the University of Florida, told board members: The continued emphasis on the idea that there is low-grade, low-quality evidence is very problematic.”
Haller said untreated children diagnosed with gender dysphoria can have adverse effects.
“This is a conversation doctors have with their patients all day, every day. So, again, trying to put this particular language into a consent form is completely disingenuous. And you know, it’s embarrassing.” The prejudices that the medical establishment represents…,” Haller said, interrupted by Scott Ackerman, chairman of the medical board.
“I am offended by your comments. Please don’t tell us what we know and don’t shame us,” said Jacksonville-based medical oncologist Ackerman. said.
Hector Villa, a member of the medical committee and Tampa physician, explained the use of the term “poor quality” research.
“It’s not like an adjective. It’s a prospective, randomized, controlled study that includes patients and follows them for an adequate period of time to provide good predictive value,” Villa said. “It will be a good study. So this is just a medical term, and we doctors are all used to using this term for quality research. …It means that those studies , means that we do not meet the standards of what the medical community calls high-quality research.”
Approval of rules and forms prohibits physicians from using pubertal inhibitors and hormone replacement therapy in children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which the federal government clinically defines as a “significant problem,” May 17. It helped enforce a new law signed by Mr. DeSantis on Sunday. The distress a person may feel when the sex or gender assigned at birth differs from their identity. ”
The law includes exceptions to allow children currently on puberty blockers and hormone therapy to continue treatment and requires state medical boards to establish standards of care for these children. .
In addition, the law required commissions regulating physicians to produce informed consent forms for transgender patients seeking gender-affirming treatment. Adults, children, and parents of children on puberty blockers or hormone therapy must sign the form.
Doctors who break the law can be stripped of their licenses and face felony charges.
Steven Rocha, one of the speakers at Friday’s conference, disputed gender-positive care as speculation.
“…to say that there was only modest improvement in the mental health of patients would be laughable if it weren’t so dangerous. It causes me to deprive myself of medical care.” Care has helped me and I am never alone. ”
Stephen Rocha
Transgender people “have been taking hormones for decades and have seen only modest improvement in their mental health, if it weren’t so dangerous, it would be laughable.” It will be,” said Rocha, a trans man who heads LGBTQ youth policy. Advocacy group PRISM Florida. “Such thinking is what causes us to deprive people who need it most of vital health care. Gender-affirming care has helped me. I am never alone.”
Florida is one of many Republican-led states to approve measures to curb or prohibit gender-affirming care for transgender children and adults. DeSantis, who is running for president, has made the issue one of his priorities.
“We can’t make something that doesn’t exist come into existence. We can’t change gender,” Recanto Republican and dermatologist Rep. (SB 254) in May before the House finally approved it. “And the children covered by this bill cannot change their gender, so they need to learn that fact.”
But restrictions approved by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Congress didn’t work well in federal court.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle earlier this month blocked Florida’s ban on the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, calling the ban “a political practice, not good medicine.” ‘ said.
“The laws and regulations in question were motivated in large part by the apparently unjustifiable purpose of denying transgender status and preventing individuals from pursuing an honest gender identity. It was intentional discrimination against gender,” Hinkle wrote.
On June 22, the judge also suspended a state ban on Medicaid coverage for transgender children and adults, calling the effort “sneaky discriminatory.” The state has appealed both decisions.
