STOP Act

Key Points

• The bill would ban all gender transition procedures for anyone under 18 nationwide, including puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries meant to change a minor's body to match a different sex.
• Doctors or medical providers who violate the ban would face civil fines of at least $100,000 per violation, enforced by the Department of Health and Human Services. Employers would also be held jointly liable for violations by their employees.
• People who received these procedures as minors could sue their doctors for damages, including costs of reversing the procedure and pain and suffering. The statute of limitations extends up to 25 years after they turn 18.
• A grant program would be created to fund nonprofit organizations that help people reverse their gender transitions, offering medical advice, education, employment help, and mental health services at no charge to the individual.
• The bill carves out exceptions for children diagnosed with disorders of sex development, treatment of precocious puberty, procedures needed for life-threatening physical conditions, and male circumcision. Minors themselves cannot be held liable under the law.
• Organizations that perform or refer for abortions (with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions) or gender transition procedures would be ineligible for the detransition grant program.