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Lawmakers push to ban puberty blockers

The late measure would outlaw puberty blockers.

ATLANTA — On Wednesday, activists at the Georgia State Capitol decried a late move to outlaw puberty blockers for teenagers. They’re used by teens with gender dysphoria – and can lead to gender transition.  

It doesn’t happen often, but the Georgia legislature is notorious for taking a popular bill and completely changing its meaning. And this one has some people rather angry.

Transgender activists were back at the capitol after spending much of last year’s session fighting legislation to limit medical treatment for transgender teens. Republicans passed that legislation, but last year, they chose not to outlaw puberty blockers.

But this week, they changed their minds.

"Hormone therapy is generally very positive -- helpful for kids that are transgender. I mean it is truly lifesaving," said Jen Slipakoff, the mother of a transgender teen.

State Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah) said "research" convinced him to introduce the language banning puberty blockers for teens. 

"To make irreversible changes, and potential side effects, and deleterious problems relating to puberty blockers outweighs any potential benefit," Watson told reporters Wednesday.

Watson's move angered transgender activists.  They say puberty blockers allow teens to pause their gender development while they figure out their gender identity.

They were also angered by the method. This week, a Senate committee heard HB 1170, originally written to require government buildings to stock medication that could treat drug overdoses.  The bill passed the House last month by a vote of 166-1.  

But then Sen. Watson proposed an amendment to outlaw puberty blockers for teens.  Committee Republicans passed that on an 8-5 party-line vote.  

Democrats said they fouled up a good bill by making it an anti-trans bill.

"It was a great bill that really could have saved more lives, and now we’ve attached another bill that will undoubtedly hurt children," state Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain) told reporters Wednesday.

The bill has some obstacles. It would need to pass the Senate and then go through the House again -- where it originally passed without controversy as the drug overdose bill.

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