Advocates say transgender patients are facing barriers to “potentially life-saving health care” after a federal appeals court ruled that a Florida law banning gender-affirming care can be enforced while a legal challenge plays out. The decision handed down by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Monday cleared the way for Florida to prohibit transgender minors from being prescribed puberty blockers and hormonal treatments, even with their parents’ permission. The law also requires that transgender adults only receive treatment from a doctor and not from a registered nurse or other qualified provider. Jon Harris Maurer, the public policy director for LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Florida, characterized the law as government intrusion into “vital health care”.