ACP denounces Florida decision to ban gender-affirming care for youth

The decision to ban gender-affirming care for youth in Florida will cause “irrevocable harm,” ACP President Ryan D. Mire, MD, MACP, said in a press release.

On Nov. 4, the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine voted to begin drafting a law that would ban youth from accessing gender-affirming care like hormone therapy or puberty blockers.

In a press release from the ACP, Mire emphasized that the ACP considers gender-affirming care to be medically necessary “because of the risk it poses to those individuals to be denied care.”

“Policies that restrict access to health care for transgender persons reinforce marginalization and increase the risk of anxiety, substance use disorder, suicide and other mental health issues for those it impacts,” Mire said in the release.

He added that the Florida boards’ decision “is particularly troubling” because, even though it comes from state medical boards, “it runs counter to the recommendations of ACP and other major medical bodies.”

“ACP has repeatedly been on the record opposing government interference against physicians providing evidence-based health care,” he said. “We also strongly oppose the politicization of state licensing bodies to the same effect; restrictions and barriers to providing evidence-based, gender-affirming care that is in the best interest of the health and well-being of transgender youth will cause great harm to those individuals.”

The Endocrine Society also condemned the ban, calling it “blatantly discriminatory” and saying it “contradicts medical evidence.”

The Endocrine Society’s guidelines only recommend reversible treatments to delay puberty for adolescents, because this type of medication is “safe, reversible, and the conservative approach that gives teenagers and their families more time to explore their options.”

“We call on the Florida Board of Medicine to reverse the ban and allow physicians to provide evidence-based care and protect the lives of minors,” the society said in the press release. “Medical evidence, not politics, should inform treatment decisions.”

The Endocrine Society also noted that denying access to hormone therapy or puberty-delaying medication increases the risk for self-harm and suicidal ideation.

“When an individual’s gender identity is not respected and they cannot access medical care, it can result in higher psychological problem scores and can raise the person’s risk of committing suicide or other acts of self-harm,” the release said.

With the uptick in proposed legislation to limit access to care, the society stated that it “is alarmed that misinformation about medical care recommended for transgender and gender-diverse adolescents is fueling efforts to limit access to gender-affirming care.”

“The move by the Florida Board of Health to ban gender-affirming care based on a political agenda rather than on science sets a dangerous precedent for all health care decisions,” the statement concluded.

The statements from ACP and the Endocrine Society are the latest examples of opposition among medical groups to restrict gender-affirming care. Earlier this year, the Endocrine Society condemned a directive issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defining gender care for adolescents as “child abuse.” Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics, AMA and Children’s Hospital Association coauthored a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, JD, asking for a federal investigation into the threats made against institutions that provide gender-affirming care.

References:

• Endocrine Society condemns Florida ban on gender-affirming care. https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2022/endocrine-society-condemns-florida-ban-on-gender-affirming-care#:~:text=The%20Endocrine%20Society%20rebukes%20the,protect%20the%20lives%20of%20minors. Published Nov. 4, 2022. Accessed Nov. 8, 2022.
• Internal Medicine Physicians say banning gender-affirming care will harm the health of Floridians. https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/internal-medicine-physicians-say-banning-gender-affirming-care-will-harm-the-health-of-floridians. Published Nov. 7, 2022. Accessed Nov. 8, 2022.