Governor Ron DeSantis is applauding a federal appeals court鈥檚 decision to allow Florida鈥檚 ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
The federal appeals court鈥檚 ruling came just months after a lower court ordered the ban to be lifted.
With the ban in place, people under the age of 18 can鈥檛 be prescribed puberty blockers or other hormone therapies.
DeSantis applauded the court鈥檚 decision, but said a lot could change, including with the ban based on results of the election in November.
鈥淵ou know you are in a situation where, depending on how the election goes, I could absolutely see a Harris administration try to wield the administrative state against states that have done things like we did to protect minors,鈥� said DeSantis.
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DeSantis said he wasn鈥檛 surprised that the ban was upheld in Florida, as similar bans have been upheld in 25 states, including Alabama, New Hampshire and Wyoming.
鈥淪o we knew on appeal that we would win, we were able to win that, and so that's going into effect, but that is going to provide protection for people in very vulnerable situations,鈥� said DeSantis.
In June, after the first court鈥檚 ruling that temporarily halted the ban, several healthcare providers including in Orlando
Now with this most recent ruling, clinics will have to stop treatment of some patients mid-care, which could lead to unfavorable outcomes.
According to the Trevor Project, that advocates for LGBTQ young people across the U.S., LGBTQ
The group found a number of policies and practices can help save trans and gender non-conforming children鈥檚 lives, including respecting a person鈥檚 preferred pronouns, allowing a person to change their legal documents to reflect their gender identity, and making gender-affirming care accessible.
in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Trevor Project researchers 鈥渇ound that gender-affirming hormone therapy is significantly related to lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary young people.鈥�
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