LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan House Republicans are drawing the line where it matters most in schools: the bathroom door.

The Student Restroom Privacy Act, introduced by 22 GOP lawmakers on August 27, would require students to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their biological sex. Sponsor Rep. Joseph Fox (R-Fremont) called it “common sense legislation” aimed at protecting young women from potential abuse, News Channel 3 reported.

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“I think that our daughters and granddaughters deserve that type of protection and security,” Fox said.

The bill advanced on a 7–4 vote, with Fox stressing that prevention is the point. “It’s a whole lot easier to tie the gate well to keep the horse in the barn than it is to go chasing after the horse after it’s got out of the barn,” he said.

If enacted, the measure would place Michigan among states making child protection a priority, beginning with the school bathroom.