Bill Banning Gender Transition Procedures for Minors Nears Final Passage

The Florida House voted on SB 254 on Wednesday, legislation that would prohibit physicians from performing gender transition procedures on minors, require written consent to be obtained before such procedures could be performed on adults and require that a physician's license be revoked if he or she violates any sections of the bill.  
An amendment introduced by House sponsor Representative Fine was adopted and the amended bill was approved by an 82-31 vote on Wednesday. The amendment expands the ban to current patients, allowing until the end of the year for minors to discontinue the process. In addition, other changes approved by the House would ban health insurance policies from covering transition-related medical expenses, and would ban an individual from changing the gender originally noted on their birth certificate. Since the bill was amended, it is now in returning messages to the Senate.