On Wednesday, health officials in the state of Florida rejected federal demands that gender reassignment surgeries be guaranteed to any minors who wish to undergo the procedure.
The New York Post reports that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladopo instead recommended children who “question” their gender should receive therapy and counseling to better understand why they feel such urges, in order to convince them to change their mind. Ladopo pointed to research showing that at least 80 percent of children who consider “changing” their gender ultimately decide against it.
“It was about injecting political ideology into the health of our children,” said Ladopo. “Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18.”
Ladopo’s statements were in response to a “fact sheet” recently put out by the federal Office of Population Affairs, which claims that “gender-affirming” care for minors “consists of an array of services that may include medical, surgical, mental health, and non-medical services for transgender and nonbinary people.” The agency falsely claims that such care “is crucial to overall health and well-being as it allows the child or adolescent to focus on social transitions and can increase their confidence while navigating the healthcare system.”
The move by Florida officials was criticized by far-left groups such as Equality Florida, which falsely described such surgical procedures and other methods as “life-saving,” and accused Florida of “demonizing life-saving, medically-necessary care, and asserting that the government, not parents, knows best when it comes to health care for our children.”
But Ladopo fired back by pointing out that “the current evidence does not support the use of puberty blockers, hormone treatments, or surgical procedures for children and adolescents.”
“The federal government’s medical establishment releasing guidance failing at the most basic level of academic rigor shows that this was never about health care,” he continued.
Under Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Florida has mostly led the charge against the promotion of overtly sexual content to little children by government institutions such as public schools. Governor DeSantis recently signed a parental rights bill into law, giving parents more access to the curriculum being taught to their children, and also forbidding schools from teaching sexually inappropriate material to children through the grades of Kindergarten to 3rd grade.
The bill has been slammed by left-wing critics, who labeled it the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” falsely claiming that the bill is targeting homosexuals, transgenders, and other sexual minorities. But despite the backlash from the media, celebrities, and Democrats, the law remains overwhelmingly popular with voters in Florida.