Protecting Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced
Summary
Creates long-term civil liability for gender-transition procedures on minors. This bill would let people who received puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery before age 18 sue providers for physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harms up to 30 years after turning 18.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
New private lawsuits for minors
If enacted, minors who were under 18 when they received a gender‑transition procedure could sue providers in federal court if harmed. You or a guardian would need to file within 30 years after you turn 18. Remedies could include money damages, punitive damages, injunctions, and attorney fees and costs. Federal liability would apply only when the care has a connection to interstate commerce or federal jurisdiction.
Defines covered procedures and providers
If enacted, the bill would define key terms used to decide who and what care is covered. It would define biological sex by chromosomes and anatomy at birth. It would list puberty blockers, cross‑sex hormones, and certain surgeries as "gender‑transition procedures" but also carve out people with inherently ambiguous sex traits, certain genetic/biochemical findings, harms caused by the intervention, and life‑saving emergency care. It would define "medical practitioner" as a person licensed to provide health care.
Federal limits on mandates and funding
If enacted, no federal law could be read to require a practitioner to perform a gender‑transition procedure. If a State requires practitioners to perform such procedures, that State could lose all Department of Health and Human Services funding. These rules would take effect on the date the bill is enacted.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
AR • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 1/23/2025
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/23/2025
Markwayne Mullin
OK • R
Sponsored 1/23/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov