Bill · S. 312· Senate(119-S-312)
Jamie Reed Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act
- Introduced
- 1/29/2025
- Last activity
- 1/29/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Josh Hawley
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, titled the "Jamie Reed Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act," seeks to establish a Federal tort against certain entities. It targets pediatric gender clinics and other entities that perform gender-transition procedures on minors. The bill defines these procedures to include puberty-blocking drugs, hormone administration, and certain surgeries intended to change the body to conform to a subjective sense of identity. It creates liability for clinics, medical practitioners, hospitals, and affiliated institutions if a procedure causes bodily injury or harm to mental health. Individuals may bring civil actions for compensatory and punitive damages for up to 30 years after turning 18. Additionally, the bill prohibits Federal funds from being used for these procedures or for the clinics that provide them.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+6
The bill establishes a new federal tort that provides recourse for individuals harmed by specific medical procedures.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+5
The bill provides a legal pathway for young adults to sue for harms experienced during their minority.
Does this give the federal government more power?+5
The bill establishes a new federal tort and limits how federal funds can be distributed across various institutions.
The opposite· 3 of 6
Would LGBTQ people be better off under this?-9
The bill imposes significant legal and financial liabilities on providers of gender-affirming care, disproportionately affecting the LGBTQ community.
Does this expand the rights of LGBTQ people?-9
The bill targets gender-affirming care, which significantly impacts the rights and healthcare access of LGBTQ individuals.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?-7
The bill restricts access to gender-transition procedures for minors and prohibits federal funding for the clinics providing them.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Legal Recourse for Harmed Individuals: Individuals who suffer bodily injury or harm to mental health (including physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harm) resulting from a gender-transition procedure performed while they were a minor may bring civil actions for compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees and costs (Section 2(b) and Section 2(c)).
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Extended Timeframe for Legal Action: The bill allows individuals to bring a civil action as late as 30 years after they reach the age of 18 (Section 2(c)).
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Protections for Specific Medical Conditions: The bill excludes certain interventions from the definition of "gender-transition procedure" if they are performed on individuals with specific biological sex characteristics, such as those with inherently ambiguous sex characteristics or those with sex steroid hormone issues determined through testing (Section 2(a)(1)(B)).
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Protection for Emergency Situations: The bill excludes procedures undertaken to treat a physical disorder, injury, or illness that a physician certifies would place the individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of major bodily function (Section 2(a)(1)(B)(iii)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Liability for Medical Institutions and Educators: Hospitals and institutions of higher education that host, operate, partner with, or provide funding to a pediatric gender clinic can be held liable for harm caused by gender-transition procedures (Section 2(b)(3) and Section 2(b)(4)).
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Financial Restrictions on Clinics and Affiliates: Federal funds are prohibited from being provided to pediatric gender clinics or to hospitals and institutions of higher education that are affiliated with or partner with these clinics (Section 3).
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Retroactive Application of Liability: The bill applies to any gender-transition procedure that took place before the date of enactment, meaning past procedures could be subject to the new legal standards (Section 4(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Young Adults+5Good For L G B T Q Community-9Good For Children-5Good For Students-4
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+5Improves Due Process+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves L G B T Q Rights-9
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access-7
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+6Reduces Government Spending-5
- 4/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/29/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ted CruzRepublican · Texas
Bernie MorenoRepublican · Ohio