Chloe Cole Act

Legal Recourse for Damages: Section 4 provides a private right of action for children and parents to seek compensatory, non-economic, and punitive damages from health care providers who perform prohibited procedures.

Protection of Healthy Body Parts: The bill is designed to prohibit the "chemical or surgical mutilation" of children's healthy body parts as defined in Section 2(1) and Section 3.

Medical Exceptions: Section 2(1)(B) ensures that children can still receive medically necessary treatments for verifiable disorders of sexual development, traumatic bodily injuries, congenital structural anomalies of major organs, and acute illnesses with a high probability of rapid mortality.

Support for Detransition: Section 2(1)(B)(iv) and Section 2(3) exclude "detransition treatment" from the prohibition, allowing for medical or mental health interventions that stop or reverse the effects of prior mutilation or help an individual cope with them.

Restrictions on Medical Care: Section 3 prohibits health care professionals, hospitals, and clinics from providing puberty blockers, sex hormones, or specific surgical procedures to individuals under 18.

Strict Liability for Providers: Section 4(c) holds health care professionals, hospitals, or clinics strictly liable for damages if they participate in the prohibited acts after the act's enactment.

Burden of Proof on Providers: Under Section 4(c), if a provider claims a medical exception, they bear the burden of proving it by "clear and convincing evidence."