Photo via Ron DeSantis’ Facebook.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign Senate Bill 254 into law, anti-transgender legislation the Republican-controlled State Legislature sent him May 4 that would keep doctors from prescribing drugs and performing procedures on minors who are seeking gender-affirming care.
The bill, which passed largely along political lines, would also ban the use of state money for gender-affirming care and place new restrictions on adults seeking treatment.
It’s the latest in anti-LGBTQ+ bills that the Florida Legislature has passed as DeSantis prepares to launch a presidential campaign. It was sent to the governor with just one day left in the annual legislative session.
“This bill painfully shows Governor DeSantis’ ‘Florida freedom’ farce,” Equality Florida Public Policy Director Jon Harris Maurer said in a statement. “It’s an assault on medical freedom and the freedom to parent.
“After weaponizing the state’s Medicaid agency and Board of Medicine against the transgender community, the governor’s surrogates have now rammed through legislation to override parental decision making, jail Florida doctors following best practices, and force adults to jump through government hoops to access their daily medication,” he continued. “This crusade is about political aspirations, but it has real world consequences for Florida families.”
Many studies show that gender-affirming care like hormone therapy and puberty blockers can improve kids’ well-being, including reducing depression and suicidal behavior.
Democrats argued the bill wasn’t needed, and that medical care is a decision that parents should make with children’s doctors. They also said that treatment for children and adults is critical.
“For many who receive this care, it is essential to their health and well-being,” said Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani. “They just want to be their authentic selves and access the health care they need to do so.”
DeSantis, who has prominently taken on LBGTQ+ rights issues, supports the legislation. DeSantis has also pushed for restrictions on gender and sexuality lessons in schools, a ban on trans girls and women from school sports, and he has made it easier for parents to block school books with LGBTQ subjects.
