A federal judge said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has repeatedly spread false information about doctors mutilating children’s genitals in a push for a ban against transgender health care to minors, even though there have been no documented cases of such procedures.
Judge Robert Hinkle made the remarks during the final day of a trial, saying he would decide “as quick as I can” in the new year on whether it illegally targets transgender youth.
In May, DeSantis, who is running for president, signed off on a law that makes it illegal for health care professionals to provide gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgeries, to transgender minors.
Three Florida families with transgender children sued the state, arguing the law would cause harm to the children and infringe upon their rights as parents to make medical decisions for their kids.
Hinkle, a U.S. district judge in the Northern District of Florida who was appointed by former President Clinton, told a state lawyer Mohammad Jazil during a hearing Thursday that DeSantis sold the law as defending children from mutilation, when it’s really preventing children from getting care, The Associated Press reported.
“When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements?” he asked during a hearing. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.”
The law, Senate Bill 254, also places restrictions on adult transgender care by narrowing the available providers who can administer treatments.
People who violate the law risk being convicted of a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Jazil said the law was intended for public safety in an area that needs more oversight and was “not about targeting transgender individuals,” the AP reported.
Thomas Redburn, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge the law had devastating repercussions on transgender youth and their families, and said it was the “product of invidious discrimination," according to NPR affiliate WUSF.
Hinkle questioned whether the plaintiffs could prove DeSantis supported the law “because he hates transgender people” or whether it was motivated by legitimate health concerns.
“Then the question is what do we do about this, and what the state’s decided is, take a sledgehammer and ban it outright,” the judge said, per WUSF.
“You’re almost never blessed with what’s actually in people’s minds,” Redburn responded. “When you put all that together here, you have an unconstitutional statute.”
Hinkle has temporarily blocked the law from being enforced for youths, pending the outcome of the trial.
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