Ginny Ehrhart introduced HB 1060
UPDATE [03/04/2020]: The House Committee on Health and Human Services is meeting today from 3-5pm with their agenda yet to be announced.
UPDATE [03/03/2020]: HB 1060 seems to have had its 2nd reading late, but it’s happened today: "In the House, second reading occurs automatically on the legislative day following the bill’s introduction. In the Senate, second reading occurs on the legislative day after a bill is reported from standing committee, except that after the 35th day of the session, second reading occurs on the day a bill is reported from committee."
UPDATE [02/29/2020]: This bill has been referred to the House committee on Health & Human Services. The chair of that committee is Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) and the vice-chair is Mark Newton (R-Augusta). Newton is a co-sponsor of the bill. Find the full list of committee members here.
UPDATE: Crossover day in Georgia is March 12.
State Representative Ginny Ehrhart (R-Marietta)has introduced HB 1060, titled “Vulnerable Child Protection Act.” This legislation, which would make it illegal to prescribe puberty blockers to anyone under the age of 18, does nothing to protect children.
The bill has five sponsors in addition to Ehrhart, including Ron Stephens, (R-Savannah), Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper), Mark Newton (R-Augusta), Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), and John Carson (R-Marietta).
This legislation, which affects minors, would not apply to medical decisions of parents or guardians of infants born with so-called disorders of sex development. Basically, this bill would allow for the continued genital mutilation of intersex infants while working to make it illegal for doctors to treat their young transgender patients, who deserve agency over their own bodies.
Offending health care professionals (defined as “any individual licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise authorized to provide medical or mental health services to natural persons, including, but not limited to, those individuals licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise authorized…,”) could face felony charges leading to convictions of imprisonment for 1–10 years.
If you’re interested in reading more about the research on the effects of puberty blockers you can find links to that information here.
Read the full text of HB 1060 here.
You can get in touch with your state representative here.
