ACLU promises to sue if Kemp signs bill banning gender surgeries on children

The Georgia Senate passed a modified version of a bill that would restrict certain surgical procedures on minors for gender dysphoria on Tuesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union is promising to sue if Gov. Brian Kemp signs it into law.

Senate Bill 140 would ban any gender dysphoria-related surgical procedures and hormone replacement therapies for those under the age of 18. State Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, is the bill's author.

In a news release, the ACLU said, "courts around the country have already stopped similar laws from going into effect on constitutional grounds, and we expect Georgia courts would do the same."

The amended bill, which House lawmakers passed on March 16 by a 97-34 vote, passed with a 31-21 vote in the Senate. A Democrat-led motion to table the bill failed on a party-line vote. Republicans hold a 10-seat majority in the upper chamber.

The main change made by the House was to strip out a provision that gave physicians immunity from civil suits if they complied with the law.

Democrats blasted the bill on the floor as contrary to current science and possibly harming transgender youth.

"The Georgia Legislature has once again chosen to place politics before patient care. The politicians who passed SB 140 are interfering with the rights of Georgia parents to get life-saving medical treatment for their children and preventing physicians from properly caring for their patients," said Cory Isaacson, ACLU of Georgia legal director, in a news release. "The ACLU of Georgia and our partners will now consider all available legal options in order to protect the rights of parents, young people, and medical providers in our state."

If enacted, the measure would take effect on July 1.