(ATLANTA, Ga). — Falling along party lines, the Georgia State House of Representatives today voted 96-75 to pass SB-140. The bill originated in the Senate, moving to the House for revisions, and is now headed back to the Senate for a full vote.
The bill targets healthcare designed to provide care for young Georgians dealing with gender dysmorphia. If signed into law, the bill would strip doctors of the ability to prescribe certain kinds of care for minors under the age of 18.
The American Psychiatric Association defines gender dysmorphia as clinically significant distress and anxiety, resulting from one’s own body not matching their internal gender identity. Care for gender dysmorphia ranges widely, and is highly individual to each case.
The bill is one of over 400 anti-trans healthcare bills that the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking in the 2023 legislative session. Other Republican-lead states like Arkansas and Tennessee have introduced similar bills, some of which have already become law.