Chloe Cole Act
The Chloe Cole Act seeks to prohibit healthcare professionals, hospitals, and clinics from providing gender-affirming medical treatments to minors, which the bill characterizes as "chemical or surgical mutilation." The legislation establishes a federal ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures intended to align a minor's physical characteristics with their gender identity when it differs from their biological sex. The bill creates a private right of action allowing individuals who received such treatments as children, or their parents, to sue healthcare providers for damages up to 25 years after turning 18. The bill applies retroactively, meaning it covers treatments provided before its enactment, and establishes strict liability for providers who perform these procedures after the law takes effect.
Key Points
- 1Prohibits gender-affirming medical interventions for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures, when used to align physical characteristics with a gender identity different from biological sex
- 2Creates a 25-year statute of limitations allowing individuals to sue healthcare providers until age 43, or within 4 years of incurring detransition treatment costs, whichever is later
- 3Establishes strict liability for healthcare providers who perform these procedures after enactment, with defendants required to prove by clear and convincing evidence that an exception applies
- 4Provides exceptions for treatment of disorders of sexual development, injuries or diseases caused by prior interventions, life-threatening conditions, and detransition treatments
- 5Allows for compensatory, non-economic, and punitive damages, including costs for reversing procedures, emotional distress, and pain and suffering