In Florida, doctors can no longer help teenagers change their gender

In a few weeks, people under the age of 18 in the state of Florida will not be able to benefit from medical interventions aimed at reassigning their gender, following a decision voted on Friday by the US state’s medical board, several local media reported. .

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The measure, which won six votes in favor and four against, would have prevented doctors in the state from operating on minors and prescribing anti-puberty drugs as part of a gender reassignment. The New York Times.

These treatments are specifically used to combat gender dysphoria: mental disorders experienced by people whose biological identity differs from their gender identity.

This new decision does not apply to patients who have already started one of these treatments.

The move was decided by the Florida State Medical Council, which brings together health professionals in the region, and 14 members were appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking re-election to his position.

The figure among American conservatives has spent months criticizing the treatment of adolescents in the context of gender transitions.

During a televised debate last week against Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, DeSantis said, “The vast majority of (gender) dysphoria resolves itself once (children) become adults,” comparing current methods to the “chemical castration” of teenagers. .

In August, his administration banned funding for gender reassignment therapy through Medicaid, the US government’s flagship public health program for low-income people.

In the United States, several medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics champion current treatments for gender dysphoria.

The states of Arkansas and Alabama have passed laws prohibiting doctors from performing these treatments on teenagers, but the measures have been blocked by lawsuits.