Tennessee Majority Leaders William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, last week introduced the Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act, providing the nation’s strongest protections against the removal of a child’s healthy body parts.
House Bill 1/Senate Bill 1 bans medical interference that alters a child’s hormonal balance and procedures that remove their organs to enable the minor to identify as a gender different from their biological sex. It creates a private right of action allowing a minor injured due to a violation of the law to sue for damages. The legislation also allows courts to impose an additional $25,000 penalty for each violation.
The Republican leaders committed to ban gender-disfiguring procedures for minors after troubling videos surfaced on social media in September. Reports from the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh showed a local medical provider promoting so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ as a “huge money maker.” The reports raised nationwide awareness and serious ethical concerns about procedures performed on minors at pediatric transgender clinics across the country.
“Interfering or destroying the healthy, normal reproductive organs of a child for the purpose of altering their appearance is profoundly unethical and morally wrong,” Lamberth said. “Tennesseans across our state have demanded an immediate call to action. Through the passage of House Bill 1/Senate Bill 1, Tennessee will protect vulnerable children who cannot give informed consent for adult decisions they aren’t ready for.”
Johnson said, “This bill is about protecting children. Under no circumstances should minors be allowed to undergo irreversible elective procedures to mutilate body parts and intentionally harm their reproductive systems. This practice comes with lifelong health complications that children are not capable of understanding. It is detrimental to those struggling children as well as the fabric of our society to refer to these twisted procedures as ‘treatment’ and ‘care’. I appreciate the work of Matt Walsh for uncovering the ugly truth about ‘gender-affirming care’ and the harmful semantic game threatening the futures of children. I am glad we will address this issue in the upcoming General Assembly.”
The Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act
Creates a private right of action allowing a minor or the parent of a minor injured as a result of the violation to sue for damages
Allows a child to bring a civil cause of action against a parent if a parent consented to the violation on the minor’s behalf
Allows courts to impose a $25,000 penalty per violation
Requires the state attorney general to establish a process for reporting violation of the law
Allows the state attorney general to bring an action against a health care provider for knowingly violating the law within 20 years of the violation
The bill makes exceptions for children born with chromosomal anomalies or congenital defects.
The 113th Tennessee General Assembly is scheduled to convene on Jan. 10, 2023.
