US Appeals Court Allows Florida to Enforce Ban on Puberty-Blocking Medical Procedures

A federal appeals court has allowed Florida to enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, blocking a lower court order against the ban while the matter is appealed.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a 2-1 decision that revived a law prohibiting transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormonal treatments, even with parental permission. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle blocked the law in June. The law also mandates that transgender adults can only receive treatment from a doctor, not a registered nurse or other medical practitioner. Additionally, adults seeking treatment must be present in the room with the physician when signing the consent form.

Florida’s attorneys had conceded during the district court trial that the state cannot stop someone from pursuing a transgender identity, but said it can regulate medical care.

For minors, the only treatments in question are puberty-blocking treatments and cross-sex hormones—for example, administering testosterone to someone born female. Those who were already undergoing treatment when the law was enacted in May 2023 were allowed to continue. Surgery, which is uncommon for minors, remained prohibited.

At least 26 states have adopted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center paused its practice of gender affirming therapies based on “new recommendations” from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

Sweden and Finland, two nations considered far more socially liberal than the United States, ended their use of puberty blockers and reversed their endorsement of gender transition treatments for children, including hormone replacement therapy. They cited concerns about the inherent risks and dangers posed to the patients, including reproductive risks and other critical issues such as bone density.