Christine Jordan Sexton
A state medical licensing board appears poised to adopt an emergency rule on Friday that will allow transgender minors who have been treated with puberty blockers and transgender adults who are taking hormones to continue taking the medication for an additional six months.
There is no written proposal, but members of the Florida Boards of Medicine (BOM) and Osteopathic Medicine (BOOM) Joint Rules and Legislative Committee agreed in concept on Thursday to allow transgender minors who were actively being treated prior to May 18 as well as transgender adults to continue to access their prescriptions so long as the dosage isn’t altered in any way.
The six-months’ time frame gives the BOM and BOOM the time they need to create informed consent forms and formally adopt them through the rulemaking process.
The full BOM meets in Tampa Friday and is expected to approve the yet-to-be-written emergency rule. The BOOM must also approve the emergency rule, but it isn’t slated to meet until August 11.
The forms are required under a new law (SB 254) that became effective May 18. The controversial law bans minors who weren’t in treatment prior to the law taking effect from accessing transgender health care services.
The law makes clear that consent for the procedures must be voluntary, informed, and in writing and on a form adopted by the BOM and the BOOM .
The law requires that the physician be in the same room as the patient during the informed consent process, which means that telehealth cannot be used. The law also requires physicians to inform the patient of the nature and risks of the prescription or procedure to allow the patient to make a prudent decision.
SB 254 was one of a handful of bills the Legislature passed during the 2023 Session that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community say is discriminatory. It was part of an aggressive agenda pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for President.
Meanwhile, sources tell Florida Politics more than 100 people attended the BOM and BOOM Joint Rules and Legislative Committee meeting Thursday in Tampa to listen to the boards discuss the proposed emergency and permanent rules.
The Joint Rules and Legislative Committee members discussed what could be included in the informed consent form rule. A comment that the consent form make clear that the informed consent rule include language that “sex reassignment surgery does not relieve mental health issues” was met with opposition from many audience members who began coughing in unison to show their opposition.
Joint Rules and Legislative Committee Chair and BOM member Zachariah Zachariah advised speakers to limit comments to ideas on what should be included in the informed consent forms. Speakers were limited to three minutes or less. Most people who wanted to testify were able to, according to those who attended the meeting.
During a brief break, transgender audience members started singing the Bill Withers’ song “Lean on Me.” the message behind the song is that helping each other is good for the health and well-being of the overall community.
Thursday’s meeting also coincided with the start of Pride Month. It’s celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid led to six days of protests and violent clashes between law enforcement and the club patrons.
11 comments
TonyH
June 1, 2023 at 7:44 pm
This development has really flown under the radar with the news media. Most trans-adults have been blocked from any of their refills. The DOJ has done nothing. Funny how an unregulated hormone has been outlawed by targeting the trans-community while a 70 year old woman can access the same drugs with her doctors care. Pretty selective stuff.
Richard Bruce
June 1, 2023 at 8:54 pm
Being “Trans” is not a physical disease. Why are doctors treating a fully functional healthy body with serious drugs? The problem is in the mind, not the body.
David Formosa
June 2, 2023 at 8:19 am
The brain is a part of the body. We treat depression a disease of the mind with anti depressives. We treat schizophrenia a disease of the mind with anti-psychotics.
We treat gender dysphoria with transitioning because it is effective.
Gabe
June 15, 2023 at 12:18 am
That’s right David. Trans healthcare is necessary and essential for those to live a happy and healthy life. There is nothing wrong with being trans. We need to protect our trans community, especially now due to all the hatred. Trans people are not going anywhere… they have existed as long as humankind has. If we were all the same no one would learn… there is value in diversity in a multitude of ways. We all have value and we all are valid. If anyone has questions there are many medical resources out there, and be sure to look up personal stories. It’s disappointing to see how some are quick to spew hate on topics they are not educated on. It’s best to be kind and seek to understand.
Linda
June 2, 2023 at 8:37 am
And your expertise in this field comes from ???
FortmyersLena
June 2, 2023 at 8:43 pm
It’s certainly not a mental illness However the goal is to align the physical body with the desire of the mind, a transexual despises their birth biology and wants freedom from it as such physical hormones and surgeries are wanted and justified
Joe
June 5, 2023 at 2:07 pm
Mr. Bruce really nails the dumbest-possible-question portion of this competition.
Earl Pitts American
June 1, 2023 at 8:58 pm
Good evening America,
These Doctors are in violation of the law.
I, Earl Pitts American, will call Ron and try and get these Doctors serve their time by working in the prision medical care facilities. It will save the State some money and we may be able to knock off some of their prision sentances for their service to their fellow inmates. But we wont be doing any gender transition or breast agumentation surgury in our prision facilities.
We should be rounding them all up for arrest over the weekend or by Wednesday at the latest.
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts American
PeterH
June 2, 2023 at 11:29 am
When Ron DeSantis signed this discriminatory bill into law was he ‘practicing medicine without a license!’
Isn’t there a legal remedy for individuals who practice medicine without a license? Doesn’t a license confer a special privilege?
Michael K
June 6, 2023 at 11:58 am
Let’s be honest: this legislation has nothing to do with healthcare, science, or medicine. It has everything to do with cruelty and bigotry – throwing red-meat to the governor’s low-information base to get them all riled up to forget about the wealthy donors picking their pockets and convincing to vote against their best interests.
Dont Say FLA
June 7, 2023 at 8:50 am
Trans Drag Queens are the GOP’s new root of all evil because the GOP finally realized it needed black votes but you gotta have a bogeyman that’s coming for your wives and children for selling voters on your platform of fear .
Hence, GOP’s new line: “Turns out black folks aren’t so bad after all. It’s the trans drag queens that are coming for your wives and children! Vote for us and we’ll protect you from the blaaaaa, uh i mean, the trans drag queens, yeah them they’re the devil now”
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