Georgia Senate passes bill banning puberty blockers for minors

House Bill 1170 was initially introduced to provide the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan in some government buildings. The House passed that version of the bill nearly unanimously in February, but earlier this month Senate Republicans hijacked it by adding the puberty blocker ban. 

State Sen. Ben Watson, a Republican from Savannah, pushed for the amendment to the measure. He was a co-sponsor of a bill that passed last year that banned hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery for minors in Georgia. 

“Last year we banned surgery and we banned sex hormones,” he said Thursday. “This adds puberty blockers because they are not innocuous, they have side effects.” 

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Republican from Marietta, also supported the puberty blocker ban, saying “there needs to be more research.”

Democratic lawmakers roundly criticized the ban. Sen. Sonya Halpern, a Democrat from Atlanta, said the original version of HB 1170 was a good bill. 

“This incredible bill intended to save lives from drug overdose has been twisted into crippling legislation that will inevitably lead to an increase in suicide and a mental health crisis for Georgia’s youth,” she said. 

Several Democratic lawmakers noted that the measure would restrict parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children. 

“None of this is about parental choice. All of it is about anti-trans ideology,” said Sen. Josh McLaurin.

Sen. Nan Orrock noted that a group of over 300 medical providers released a letter this week opposing the puberty blocker ban. 

“As medical professionals, we are disheartened to see our legislators prioritize political tactics and exhibit such disregard for the standards of medical care for transgender and gender-expansive youth,” the letter said.

The group also cited the support of gender-affirming care by major medical groups including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Endocrine Society, American Psychological Association and others.

LGBTQ advocacy group Georgia Equality issued a statement opposing the measure in advance of Thursday’s vote.

“We all want what’s best for our kids, which is why it’s so important for families to have access to medical care that meets their needs, without political interference,” said Executive Director Jeff Graham. “Now, a bill intended as a simple public health measure has been manipulated to undermine health care providers’ expertise and threaten teenagers’ health.”

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 32-19. It still needs approval from the House today in order to become law this year.