---
title: HB 1275. Medical practice; ensure that stem cell therapies are used to advance medical treatments and improve patient outcomes in an ethical manner that does not involve stem cells derived from aborted fetuses
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1275
cite_as: HB 1275, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1275
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1275.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1275/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73116
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1625
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1275.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1275
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Mark Newton
- Lee Hawkins
- Sharon Cooper
- Michelle Au
- Darlene Taylor
- Matt Brass
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1275/2025
upstream_id: 2114606
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- stem cell therapy
- medical practice regulation
- patient consent
- physician licensing
- abortion-related medical policy
---
# HB 1275. Medical practice; ensure that stem cell therapies are used to advance medical treatments and improve patient outcomes in an ethical manner that does not involve stem cells derived from aborted fetuses
## Text
House Bill 1275 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Newton of the 127th, Hawkins of the 27th, Cooper of the 45th, Au of the
50th, and Taylor of the 173rd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 2 of Chapter 34 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to medical practice, so as to ensure that human stem cell therapies are used to
advance medical treatments and improve patient outcomes in an ethical manner that does not
involve human stem cells derived from aborted fetuses; to provide for definitions; to provide
for the designation of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner; to provide for certain
requirements and patient protections; to provide for notice; to provide for consent; to provide
for certain exceptions; to provide for the use of Georgia facilities; to provide for statutory
construction; to provide for related matters; to provide for legislative findings; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Significant potential of human stem cell therapies in advancing medical treatments and
improving patient outcomes exists;
(2) Protections need to be established to ensure that such therapies are provided using
umbilical cord human stem cells obtained in an ethical manner that does not involve human
stem cells derived from aborted fetuses;
(3) Medical innovation should be fostered while upholding ethical standards that respect
the sanctity of life; and
(4) By encouraging the use of human stem cell sources such as adult human stem cells;
umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal human stem cells; and other ethically obtained
human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue based products, the state will advance regenerative
medicine in a manner consistent with the values of this state.
SECTION 2.
Article 2 of Chapter 34 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
medical practice, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"43-34-49.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'FDA' means the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(2) 'Human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue based products' means articles containing
or consisting of human cells or tissues that are intended for implantation, transplantation,
infusion, or transfer into a human recipient. Such term does not include:
(A) Vascularized human organs for transplantation;
(B) Whole blood or blood components or blood derivative products; or
(C) Secreted or extracted human products, such as milk, collagen, and cell factors,
other than semen.
(3) 'Human stem cell therapy' means a treatment involving the use of afterbirth placental
perinatal human stem cells, or human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue based products,
which complies with the regulatory requirements provided in this Code section. Such
term shall not include treatment or research using human cells or tissues that were
derived from an aborted fetus or embryo.
(4) 'Minimally manipulated' means:
(A) For structural tissue, processing that does not alter the original relevant
characteristics of such tissue relating to the tissue's utility for reconstruction, repair, or
replacement; and
(B) For cells or nonstructural tissues, processing that does not alter the relevant
biological characteristics of such cells or tissues.
(5) 'Nurse practitioner' means a registered professional nurse licensed pursuant to
Article 1 of Chapter 26 of this title and authorized by the Georgia Board of Nursing to
engage in advanced practice registered nursing as a nurse practitioner.
(6) 'Physician' means a physician licensed under this article acting in the course and
scope of his or her employment.
(7) 'Physician assistant' means a person licensed as a physician assistant pursuant to
Article 4 of this chapter, the 'Physician Assistant Act.'
(8) 'Umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal human stem cells' or 'Wharton's jelly'
means highly potent, multipotent human stem cells derived from gelatinous connective
tissue surrounding the umbilical cord vessels.
(b) A physician or, following a lawful designation from such physician, a physician
assistant or nurse practitioner, may perform human stem cell therapy that is not approved
by the FDA if such therapy is used for treatment or procedures that are within the scope of
practice of the physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, so long as the patient
is advised and signs a consent form.
(c) To ensure that the retrieval, manufacture, storage, and use of human stem cells used
for therapies conducted under this Code section meet the highest standards, any human
stem cells used must fall under one of the following categories:
(1) Be retrieved, manufactured, and stored in a facility that is registered with the FDA
and located in Georgia, another state in the United States, or another country; or
(2) Be retrieved, manufactured, and stored in a facility located in Georgia, another state
in the United States, or another country and that is certified and accredited by one of the
following entities:
(A) World Marrow Donor Association;
(B) Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies;
(C) American Association of Tissue Banks; or
(D) Such other entity as the Department of Public Health may determine appropriate.
(d) A physician or his or her designee performing human stem cell therapy shall not obtain
human stem cells for therapies from a facility engaging in the retrieval, manufacture, or
storage of human stem cells intended for human use under this Code section unless the
facility maintains a valid certification or accreditation as required by subsection (c) of this
Code section.
(e) The facility described in this Code section shall notify the physician within 30 days
after any change in certification or accreditation status, including renewal, suspension,
revocation, or expiration, occurs.
(f) In the performance of any procedure using or purporting to use human stem cells or
products containing human stem cells, the physician or his or her designee shall use human
stem cell therapy products obtained from facilities that adhere to the applicable current
good manufacturing practices for the collection, removal, processing, implantation, and
transfer of human stem cells, or products containing human stem cells, pursuant to the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 301, et seq.; 52 Stat. 1040 et
seq.; and 21 C.F.R. Part 1271, Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based
Products.
(g) A physician or his or her designee who conducts human stem cell therapy pursuant to
this Code section shall include the following in any form of advertisement:
'THIS NOTICE MUST BE PROVIDED TO YOU UNDER GEORGIA LAW. This
physician or his or her designee performs one or more human stem cell therapies that
have not yet been approved by the FDA. You are encouraged to consult with your
primary care provider before undergoing any human stem cell therapy.'
(h) The notice required under subsection (g) of this Code section must be clearly legible
and in a type size no smaller than the largest type size used in the advertisement of the
human stem cell therapy services being offered.
(i) A physician or his or her designee who conducts human stem cell therapy pursuant to
this Code section shall obtain a signed consent form from the patient before performing
such human stem cell therapy.
(j) The consent form shall be signed by the patient or if the patient is not legally
competent, the patient's representative, and shall state all of the following in a language the
patient or his or her representative may reasonably be expected to understand:
(1) The nature and character of the proposed treatment;
(2) The fact that the proposed human stem cell therapy has not yet been approved by the
FDA if it has not been approved at such time; and
(3) The anticipated results of the proposed treatment.
(k) This Code section does not apply to the following:
(1) A physician who has obtained approval for an investigational new drug or device
from the FDA for the use of human cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue based products and
is operating under such approval; or
(2) A physician or his or her designee who performs human stem cell therapy under an
employment or other contract on behalf of an institution certified or accredited by any of
the following:
(A) The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy;
(B) The Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network;
(C) The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies; or
(D) An entity with expertise in human stem cell therapy as determined by the
Department of Public Health.
(l) A violation of this Code section may subject the physician or his or her designee to
disciplinary action by the licensee's respective professional board.
(m) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to regulate, restrict, or prohibit stem
cell research or the derivation, banking, or use of human stem cell lines for research or
therapeutic research purposes, conducted in accordance with federal law, including
research overseen by an institutional review board or embryonic stem cell research
oversight committee."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1275 sets new state rules for doctors who perform human stem cell therapy in Georgia, requiring the stem cells come from ethical sources rather than aborted fetuses, and requiring patient notice and consent.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently has no specific rules governing how doctors use human stem cell therapies that have not been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This bill adds a new section to Georgia's medical practice law (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-49) covering these treatments.
The bill defines 'human stem cell therapy' to exclude any treatment or research using cells derived from an aborted fetus or embryo. It allows a physician, or a physician assistant or nurse practitioner designated by that physician, to perform stem cell therapy not approved by the FDA if the patient signs a consent form. The stem cells must come from facilities registered with the FDA or certified by specific accrediting organizations. Doctors advertising these treatments must include a required notice about FDA approval status. Violations can lead to discipline by the physician's licensing board. The bill does not restrict separate stem cell research conducted under federal oversight.
### What it does
- Creates a new Georgia Code section (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-49) regulating human stem cell therapies that have not been approved by the FDA.
- Excludes from the definition of legal stem cell therapy any treatment or research using cells derived from an aborted fetus or embryo.
- Requires stem cells used in these therapies to come from FDA-registered facilities or facilities certified by specific accrediting organizations such as the American Association of Tissue Banks.
- Requires physicians to obtain signed patient consent forms describing the treatment, its FDA approval status, and expected results before performing the therapy.
- Requires a specific warning notice in any advertisement for these therapies, stating the treatment is not FDA-approved.
- Allows disciplinary action by a physician's licensing board for violations of these new requirements.
### Who it affects
Physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who perform or advertise stem cell therapies in Georgia; patients considering these treatments; facilities that retrieve, manufacture, or store human stem cells; and the Georgia Department of Public Health, which helps determine accredited sources.
### Why it matters
Patients seeking stem cell treatments would get a mandatory warning if the therapy is not FDA-approved and would have to sign a consent form explaining the treatment and its risks. Doctors would be barred from sourcing stem cells derived from aborted fetuses and would face licensing board discipline for violations.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 lists legislative findings supporting the use of ethically sourced stem cells such as umbilical cord Wharton's jelly cells instead of cells derived from aborted fetuses.
- Section 2 adds new Code section 43-34-49, defining terms including 'human stem cell therapy,' 'minimally manipulated,' and 'Wharton's jelly' cells.
- Subsection (b) allows a physician or a designated physician assistant or nurse practitioner to perform non-FDA-approved stem cell therapy within their scope of practice with patient consent.
- Subsection (c) requires stem cells to come from FDA-registered facilities or facilities certified by named accrediting bodies like the World Marrow Donor Association.
- Subsection (g) and (h) require a specific warning notice in advertisements, in type no smaller than the largest type used in the ad.
- Subsections (i) and (j) require a signed consent form describing the treatment's nature, FDA approval status, and anticipated results.
- Subsection (k) exempts physicians operating under FDA investigational drug or device approval, or under contract with certain accredited institutions.
- Subsection (m) states the section does not restrict separate stem cell research conducted under federal law and institutional oversight.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Mark Newton, Lee Hawkins, Sharon Cooper, Michelle Au, Darlene Taylor, Matt Brass
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73116
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,625 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1275.md?full=1