Providing gender-affirming care, such as hormone treatment, to people under the age of 18 is already illegal in Florida. But a new bill could change who can be charged for it and who can investigate it.
The proposal would punish anyone who "aids and abets" people providing those services, according to the bill's language. It also empowers the attorney general of the state to conduct investigations and bring civil action against professionals who provide the care.
Naples Republican Representative Lauren Melo says her bill will clamp down on what she says are bad actors issuing fake diagnosis to get around the prohibition.
"Unfortunately, what's happening is there are physicians that are actually committing fraud. This gives us an avenue to pursue and punish the people that are committing fraud against a minor child," she said.
But opponents, like Jon Harris Maurer with the LGTBQ civil rights group Equality Florida, call the bill vague and a dramatic escalation.
"The undefined aid and abet provision at the heart of this bill turns routine care into a trap. A nurse drawing blood, a pharmacist filling a prescription, or a counselor providing therapy, could all be targeted if the attorney general decides that they quote, unquote, assisted in care," he said.
Savannah Thompson, a behavioral health care professional, also has concerns.
"This could increase the feelings of fear from my clients who are under 18, but it also can increase the likelihood that these professionals won't be able to talk with their clients, honestly and openly, to give them the care and the support that they deserve and need," she said.
So far, the proposal has passed a committee in both the House and the Senate, meaning it is getting some momentum.
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