A bill banning most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies in Georgia for people under 18 is headed to Gov. Kemp's desk after senators gave it final passage Tuesday.
Senators voted 31-21 along party lines with Republicans pushing through Senate Bill 140, despite impassioned pleas from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates against what has become the most fiercely contested bill of Georgia's 2023 legislative session.
Savannah Republican Senator Ben Watson, who is a physician and helped draft the measure, said he believes the bill is will prevent minors from making irreversible changes in their lives.
Opponents said they believe the bill would be an unconstitutional infringement on parents' rights and the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia threatened to sue if the bill becomes law.
