Florida Can Enforce Ban on Puberty Blockers, Gender Surgeries for Children: Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has allowed Florida to enforce a ban on hormone replacement therapy for children while the legal challenge against the ban proceeds. In the Aug. 26 decision, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Florida, reversing a district judge’s order that put the ban on hold while the matter is appealed. The court also approved expedited proceedings in the appeal. “The district court itself recognized that there were ‘legitimate concerns’ about some of the treatments’ effects, as well as a ‘risk of misdiagnosis,’ ‘risks attendant to treatment,’ and the potential for ‘additional medical risks,'” the panel’s 2–1 majority, Judges Britt Grant and Robert Luck, wrote in the unsigned opinion....