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Key Highlights
- The Georgia State Senate passed SB 140, which limits genderaffirming care for transgender minors and criminalizes providers.
- Executive Director Jeff Graham from Georgia Equality emphasized the importance of parental rights in healthcare decisions and criticized the politicization of scientific standards.
- Thousands of Georgians opposed the bill, with around 10,000 messages sent to officials urging them to reject this legislation.
TUESDAY MARCH 23, ATLANTA, GA - We're writing to you today with a sad update. This afternoon, the Georgia State Senate voted to pass a dangerously amended version of SB 140. This bill would not only restrict access to life-saving, gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, including hormone therapy and surgical procedures, but would also criminalize medical providers for administering gender-affirming care.
In response, Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham issued the following statement:
"We are saddened by the Senate passage of SB 140 today. Parents, working in collaboration with their medical teams and adhering to standards of care, should be able to make decisions regarding their child's healthcare. With an amendment attached to SB 140 that would criminalize medical providers for following established standards of care, this legislation sets a dangerous precedent by putting politics over scientific fact.
By targeting medical professionals for doing their jobs, SB 140 threatens an already serious shortage of healthcare workers. For the safety and well-being of our state, Governor Kemp must veto this harmful legislation.
We are grateful for all of the parents, medical providers, transgender youth, and supporters of who showed up at the Capitol over the last few weeks, and the thousands of Georgians from throughout the state who took action over the last weeks to urge their elected officials to oppose this bill.
With nearly 10,000 messages sent to elected officials opposing SB 140, it is clear that Republican legislators are out of line with the majority of Georgians on this.
In the coming days, we will continue our focus on urging Governor Kemp to veto SB 140."
