Christine Jordan Sexton
The House is poised to ratchet up the battle over gender-affirming care by taking the highly unusual step of issuing subpoenas to two professional groups that support such treatments despite ongoing efforts by Florida officials to ban the practice for minors.
The House Health and Human Services Committee voted along party lines to ask House Speaker Paul Renner to subpoena the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FCAAP) and the Florida Psychiatric Society.
The decision was sparked by a letter Renner sent to Rep. Randy Fine that questioned why the groups had come out in support of gender-affirming care, which can include the use of puberty blockers and surgery in some instances.
“Although these leading practitioners (and others) have sounded alarm bells regarding contemporary treatment of minors with gender dysphoria, organizations including FCAAP apparently maintain that there is medical consensus that ‘gender-affirming care’ is the appropriate treatment,” Renner wrote.
“The foregoing (and other) indicia of widespread self-censorship in the medical profession suggest that the purported consensus may be little more than a mirage.”
The subpoenas, which will be drawn up and written by Fine, would ask the groups to explain the rationale behind their stance on gender-affirming care.
“One would believe that if they have nothing to hide, they won’t hesitate to provide that information,” Fine said.
Fine added he wasn’t exactly sure when the subpoenas would go out, but he hoped that they would be issued within 24 hours and that legislators could get the information prior to the end of Session, although he added later that the information could be reviewed at a later date.
Democrats loudly objected to the proposal, which did not become public until the night before the Monday committee meeting. Democratic Rep. Kelly Skidmore called the entire push a “rush,” while other Democrats questioned why they were launching an investigation after the House had already passed a bill banning gender-affirming care to minors.
“I think it’s unrealistic and I think that you are putting our members in a difficult position to vote on something they can’t see, they can’t read and they don’t understand the full ranging impact of,” Skidmore said.
Democrats also tried to ask for subpoenas of other organizations that supported the ban, but the Republican majority rejected that effort.
The move comes after the House last week passed legislation that would ban minors from receiving gender-affirming health care and place obstacles in the way of adults receiving the care. The House tagged its version of the gender-affirming care bill onto SB 254 and sent it back to the Senate to consider.
11 comments
Dont Say FLA
April 24, 2023 at 4:07 pm
Now don’t y’all GOPs forget to go after all the circumcisers out there that lop the foreskins off little bitty baby size male dinkie winkies. Most heinously of all so-called gender affirming genital mutilations, this particular so-called gender affirming mutilation is performed without the patient’s consent. I bet 95% or more of this GOP Brand genital mutilation judgement squad had this mutilation performed on them, and without their consent at ANY age! Are their snipped widdle winkies the reason they’re so angry? Tell ’em talk to their own parents about that!
SteveHC
April 24, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Don’t be too surprised if this leads to doctors and other medical practitioners state-wide rethinking their continued stay in Florida, particularly pediatricians (in addition to obgyn’s given the abortion political nonsense). Genuine and dedicated professionals, properly and thoroughly trained and licensed, do not appreciate politicians dictating to them changes and limitations to their jobs based on ignorance, egotism, self-centeredness and political expediency.
PeterH
April 24, 2023 at 5:56 pm
Red State Gynecologist are also relocating to blue States where they can protect women’s rights.
Put it on the table, Renner and Fine
April 24, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Reps Renner and Fine need to slap their widdle slabs out on the table to demonstrate their own lack of male gender affirming genital mutilation. Shows us your skins, sirs. Otherwise, STFU, whiney hypocrites.
Donald J Trump
April 24, 2023 at 4:49 pm
Vote for me. I’ll protect LGBT, abortion rights, and gender affirming care in Florida. I’ll also protect CRT and queer theory.
Michael K
April 24, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Will there be an auto-da-fe to accompany this inquisition?
Michael K
April 24, 2023 at 5:44 pm
I think these “gentlemen” have other issues, or something to hide.
PeterH
April 24, 2023 at 5:53 pm
There is not a single Florida legislative figure qualified to question any psychiatrist or medical doctor on this topic.
TonyN
April 25, 2023 at 8:20 pm
I was never about the kids as we see.
tjb
April 26, 2023 at 11:02 am
Could we also get Casey DeSantis’s medical records? Let medical information be only between the patient and the doctor.
It's Complicated
April 28, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Laying the groundwork for bills to be filed this coming Fall for 2024 Session. Now you know one of the bill topics: The conduct of Medical Specialty Academies, Colleges, and Societies.
Neither of those two groups is surprise. Both (at least their national affiliates) have played roles in leftist political fights in the past. The American Academy of Pediatrics sought to disenfranchise children’s access to Pediatricians if the child’s parents refused to answer questions about firearms in the home for inclusion in the child’s medical record. The America Psychiatric Association played a major role in normalizing mental illness (e.g., gender dysphoria) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Struggling to feel bad for them.
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