Judge Refuses to Block Law Restricting Adult Transgender Care

metroweekly.com:

Orlando Weekly.Under the law, transgender adults seeking out gender-affirming care must consent, in writing, to receiving the treatments.That process involves completing forms adopted by the state Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine warning of the effects of such treatments.

They must also submit written acknowledgment that they were both given those forms beforehand and informed of the risks of pursuing gender-affirming care, in person, by their doctor.

Critics of the forms adopted by the respective medical boards have argued that they are unscientific pieces of propaganda that portray all gender-affirming treatments as dangerous and experimental, in a not-so-veiled effort by state authorities to discourage transgender adults from pursuing medical transition.The restrictions also require doctors treating transgender adults to meet with them in person to administer treatments, eliminating any telehealth options for things like prescription renewal, and require that prescriptions for gender-affirming treatments like hormones only be issued by licensed physicians, not nurse practitioners.Separate in-person visits must occur if a physician issues any scripts for pharmaceutical products not previously prescribed to the patient.The law restricting transgender adult patients also blocks doctors from prescribing gender-affirming treatments for minors.Parents of transgender children filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it infringes on their parental rights.

In June, Hinkle issued an injunction blocking the law until a court rules on its validity, finding that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in proving the law is unconstitutional.