Georgia Can Resume Enforcement of Hormone Treatment for Transgender Minors, Judge Rules

Georgia can resume enforcing its ban on hormone treatment for transgender minors after a judge who previously ruled to block enforcement of the ban has lifted the hold.

After attorneys asked Judge Sarah E. Geraghty to vacate her preliminary injunction putting a hold on enforcing the ban after a ruling on a similar law in Alabama's 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Georgia.

The judge said she didn't want to go back on her previous injunction, which blocked the ban, however, with the Alabama ruling in place now, she issued a hold on it anticipating that the Alabama case would go back to court before a larger panel of judges.

Last month, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Alabama ruled that the state can implement a ban on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender children under the age of 18.

On July 1, a Georgia law went into effect that allowed doctors in the Peach State to prescribe puberty-blocking medications and let transgender minors who are currently undergoing hormone therapy to continue. However, it banned gender-affirming surgeries for children under 18 and did not allow any new patients to undergo hormone therapy if they are under 18. This is the law that was blocked by Geraghty on Aug. 20 in her original injunction.

Now, with Geraghty's newest ruling, Georgia can continue to block new patients who wish to receive puberty-blocking or hormone treating care.