Harshbarger, Senator Marshall Introduce Bill to Ban Child Sex-Change Procedures with $100K Penalties

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) today introduced the Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors (STOP) Act, landmark federal legislation that bans gender transition procedures performed on minors, imposes strict civil penalties on perpetrators, and for the first time creates a federal compensation fund dedicated to helping victims recover.  

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) led the introduction in the Senate, with Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) as an original cosponsor. In the House, Representatives Addison McDowell (R-NC) and Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) joined Congresswoman Harshbarger as original cosponsors. 

“As a pharmacist and a mother, protecting patients—especially children—has always been my top priority,” said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. “The STOP Act draws a clear line: irreversible sex-rejecting procedures should not be performed on minors. It builds on Tennessee’s law, upheld by the Supreme Court, affirming that protecting children from these dangerous interventions is a compelling government interest. I’m proud to join Senator Roger Marshall in introducing this legislation to restore accountability, support those harmed, and put children’s safety first.” 

“Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger’s STOP Act is a commonsense step to protect children from irreversible harm. The woke ideology that has crept into our healthcare system, profiting off of misled youth, needs to be stopped in its tracks. We must safeguard our minors and support the victims of these disgusting procedures,” said Congressman Addison McDowell. 

"Vulnerable children have been increasingly pressured into life-altering sex change procedures, often leaving them with lasting physical and psychological damage. Sex change procedures that maim and sterilize minors are not healthcare, but child abuse. The STOP Act is a necessary fix to hold medical professionals accountable for the harm they cause children before their lives have even begun," said Congressman Marlin Stutzman.

“As an OB-GYN with over two decades of clinical experience, I know firsthand what these irreversible procedures do to children,” said Senator Marshall. “These are not medical treatments — they are child abuse. The STOP Act sends a clear message: if you harm a child by performing these procedures, there will be serious consequences. Our children deserve nothing less.” 

“There are kids in America receiving life-altering gender surgeries before they graduate high school. There are kids being given hormone blockers that can cause bone loss, depression, and myriad other medical issues when they should be playing hopscotch and riding bikes,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Our kids deserve safe childhoods and informed consent, but instead they have harmful procedures pushed on them by predatory doctors who won’t have to live with the consequences. I’m proud to cosponsor the STOP Act to outlaw risky gender transition procedures on minors, empower victims to sue for damages, and award the penalty funds from criminal doctors to their victims as recovery compensation.” 

What the STOP Act Does: 

• Prohibits any person from knowingly performing, attempting to perform, conspiring to perform, or otherwise aiding or abetting any gender transition procedure on a minor under age 18—including but not limited to puberty blockers, high-dose cross-sex hormones, mastectomies, hysterectomies, genital surgeries, and facial procedures.
• Imposes a civil monetary penalty of at least $100,000 per violation, collectible by the Attorney General, with employers and clinics also held accountable.
• Creates a private right of action for victims of gender transition procedures—or their parent, guardian, or caretaker if the victim was still a minor—to sue in federal court for damages.
• Establishes the "Victims of Gender Transition Procedures Compensation Fund" in the U.S. Treasury—funded by civil penalties collected from offenders—to provide grants to private nonprofits that assist individuals who are recovering. 

Background:  

• Under intense pressure from radical gender ideologues, an estimated 14,000 minors have been manipulated into undergoing life-altering sex change procedures that leave them maimed, sterilized, and psychologically damaged.
• President Trump's 2025 executive order banning the use of federal funds for gender transition procedures on minors was a critical first step. The STOP Act codifies and strengthens those protections in permanent federal law.
• The STOP Act is endorsed by the American Principles Project (APP), Students for Life of America (SFLA), and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). 

CLICK HERE for the full text of the bill.  

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