Chloe Cole Act federal law prevents gender treatments for young people

Republican Lawmakers Push for Legislation Against Gender-Related Medical Procedures for Minors

Republican lawmakers have joined forces with Chloe Cole, a prominent detransition activist, to advocate for new federal legislation aimed at prohibiting gender-related medical procedures for minors. They argue that these interventions pose significant risks with long-lasting effects on children.

Introduced on Monday, the Chloe Cole Act seeks to safeguard minors from undergoing such medical treatments. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bob Onder from Missouri, who holds a medical degree, has voiced concerns about the potential harm of gender-related treatments. In discussions with Fox News Digital, Onder emphasized that the legislation would empower both children and their parents to hold healthcare providers accountable in legal contexts.

Onder stated, “Over the past 15 years, the transgender movement has convinced thousands of boys and girls they were born in the wrong body. Various clinics have taken advantage of these vulnerable children for ideological reasons and profit, administering inappropriate hormone treatments, puberty blockers, and even surgeries that cause irreversible harm.”

The Chloe Cole Act was inspired by an executive order from former President Trump, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Amputations,” which encourages lawmakers to create private rights of action for families affected by these medical interventions.

Cole shared with Fox News Digital that the bill is crucial to prevent other minors from facing the same devastating consequences she experienced. She pointed out that despite recent progress in raising awareness and enacting protections, many children remain at risk from irreversible treatments they may not fully comprehend.

She urged, “We must finish what we started and protect future generations from this experimental and harmful treatment.”

Recent legal judgments, such as a New York jury awarding $2 million to 22-year-old Fox Varian, who sued her surgeon after a double mastectomy in her teens, are encouraging for advocates like Cole. Varian also targeted her psychologist in her lawsuit after claiming the surgery left her disfigured.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has historically supported access to gender-related healthcare for minors. They, along with other prominent medical organizations, advocate for transgender youth to receive necessary health services and oppose legislation that discriminates against them or disrupts clinician-patient relationships.

In her commentary, Cole remarked on the growing number of young individuals negatively affected by misguided medical practices, asserting they were misled by health professionals during vulnerable periods of their lives. Rep. Onder echoed her sentiments, emphasizing a concerning narrative that parents are presented with regarding potential risks if treatment is not pursued.

He remarked, “Parents are being misled. Claims suggesting their children face an imminent risk of suicide if they do not have access to treatments are simply fallacies.” Onder criticized the medical industry for profiting off these procedures, describing it as a troubling trajectory in American healthcare.