Georgia Update
Women’s Health & Safety Act: As far back as 2022, Georgia Life Alliance Committee has been working to educate state legislators on ways they can directly safeguard women from the unsafe abortion pill cocktail. We have approached the 2025 General Assembly session with the same diligence and high hopes. We have had several legislators interested in sponsoring legislation that would have prevented the tragic death of 2 Georgia women. While time is short to get a bill introduced and passed from one chamber to the other by Legislative Day 28 (this day is called Crossover Day and is also the same date as the 2025 Georgia March for Life!) GLAC continues to work with legislators to move this important legislation.
Life-Affirming Legislation:
Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, SB 36
Key provisions:
Mirrors the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA, 1993),
Provides legal safeguards for people of faith from unfair intrusions and actions of state and local governments in Georgia.
More than 30 states have adopted their own state religious freedom laws in order to protect their residents from governmental overreach.
Authored by Senator Ed Setzler, with 32 Senate Co-sponsors.
SB 30, prohibits the prescribing or administering of certain hormone therapies and puberty-blocking medications to minors
Key Provisions:
Bans puberty blockers for minors if the medications are intended to alter the appearance of or affirm such minor's perception of his or her sex,
Empowers the Georgia Composite Medical Board to hold physicians who violate the law to be held accountable.
Authored by Senator Ben Watson, MD, with 29 Senate Co-sponsors.
Passed out of committee on February 13.
Dr. Watson will be speaking at the Georgia March for Life (legislative business allowing)
Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act, SB 1
Key provisions:
Prohibits males from competing in female sports in public and private schools including post-secondary educational institutions,
Requires multiple occupancy restrooms and changing areas and sleeping quarters to be designated for exclusive use by males or females.
Authored by Senator Greg Dolezal with 29 Senate Co-sponsors.
Passed out of the Senate on February 6.
SB 39, prohibits use of taxpayer funds to cover gender-affirming care under the state health benefit plan
Key provisions:
Prohibits state plan health insurance expenses to cover gender affirming care,
Prohibits state owned or operated facilities and state affiliated physicians and healthcare workers from providing gender affirming care,
Maintains prohibition for state health insurance plans to cover abortion.
Authored by Senator Blake Tillery, with 28 Senate Co-Sponsors.
Passed out of the Senate on February 11.
Legislation to watch:
HB 428, codifies ‘right’ to in vitro fertilization (IVF)
Key (only) provision:
Authored by Representative Lehman Franklin, with 5 House Co-sponsors.
With sincere empathy toward families who are experiencing infertility, as well as concerns about America’s declining birth rate, GLA holds grave concerns about IVF, in particular with the treatment of the lives (embryos) resulting from this process:
Embryos are left in suspended animation, frozen, in petroleum-based medium
Embryos may be destroyed as medical waste
Embryos may be used in medical research
The bill does not address these concerns and leaves the treatment and possible disposition of life (embryos) up to the provider and the patient. Additionally, it does not address serious problems such as the very recent report of a woman being implanted with the wrong baby!
The White House is also weighing in on IVF.
Please CLICK HERE for the Georgia Baptist position on IVF via their resolution.
Please CLICK HERE for the Roman Catholic Church position on IVF via the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
You can get a summary of previous days’ legislative activity from the House Budget & Research Office by clicking on the Legislative Reports tab.
Other Georgia Activity:
The Section 504 Kurfuffle
The Biden-Harris Administration attempted to dismantle Section 504 which offers protections and guarantees certain rights to Americans with disabilities, including education. In May of 2024, the Biden administration added gender dysphoria to the list of disabilities and threatened to withhold 504 funding from states that failed to include gender dysphoria as a disability. This effort is being driven and led by a pro-abortion California-based organization called DREDF.
Attorney General Chris Carr joined 16 other Attorneys General in a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the Biden change. Last month, the case was stayed, keeping Section 504 in effect as originally intended without the gender dysphoria disability included. However, State Senator Josh McLaurin (reportedly running for Governor) has falsely claimed that AG Carr is attempting to eliminate Section 504 in its entirety. This has caused serious concern and fear amongst parents of disabled children. State Representative Scott Hilton, who has a child with special needs, took to the well to dispel the misinformation espoused by Senator McLaurin.
The LIFE Act (Heartbeat Bill)
As a refresher: In 2022, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and other pro-abortion groups filed a lawsuit arguing that the LIFE Act violated a woman's right to privacy under Georgia's constitution. The lawsuit made its way to the Georgia Supreme Court and has been back and forth between the Fulton Superior Court. It is now back to Fulton Superior Court; remanded to the Court to reconsider standing by the third parties who brought the suit. Third party standing has been eliminated in the state of Georgia by a recent case, Wasserman v. Franklin County. The Supreme Court stated, "Now that the federal doctrine of third-party standing is no longer a part of Georgia’s law of constitutional standing, a plaintiff may not maintain an action in Georgia courts by asserting only the rights of a third party and meeting the elements of the federal test."
The LIFE Act remains in effect.
Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition
GLA alliance partner, Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition has become a leader to the faith-based community against the atrocities of Oct 7, 2023. 500 Days later, GaF&FC wrote an Op-Ed highlighting the need to bring the hostages home. On day 502, the news that two of the hostages, children aged 9 months and 4 years old when taken captive, were were returned to their Israeli families, they were killed in captivity.
Let us join in prayer for the return of all hostages and the protection of innocent human life.
