Why It Matters: The law would force people on puberty blockers to make a tough choice

The Georgia law, Senate Bill 140, prohibits doctors in the state from providing gender transition surgery and hormone therapy for the treatment of gender dysphoria in people under the age of 18.

The law does allow minors who were already receiving hormone therapy to continue their treatment, and it allows doctors to prescribe puberty blocking medications to minors.

On June 29, the families of four transgender children filed an emergency request asking the federal court in Georgia to block the law from taking effect.

The plaintiffs said the ban violated the rights of parents to make medical decisions regarding their children; they also said it violated the “guarantees of equal protection by denying transgender youth essential, and often lifesaving, medical treatment based on their sex and on their transgender status.”

In the filing, the plaintiffs also stated that while puberty blockers were not being banned under the law, it is not medically recommended that minors stay on puberty blockers for an extended period of time before transitioning to hormone therapy, which the law bans doctors from giving them until the patient turns 18. Puberty blockers don’t cause permanent physical changes but rather temporarily put off puberty. If someone decides to continue transitioning, they will probably consider hormone therapy and gender transition surgery.

“Medical providers generally aim to limit the number of years of treatment with puberty blockers due to the risk of lower bone mineral density and vitamin D deficiency,” the plaintiffs wrote, adding that the ban on hormone therapy will force young people to make a choice between the potential “negative consequences of prolonged puberty-blocking therapy,” or stopping the medication and going through puberty.