Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced legislation Friday to make performing so-called “gender affirming care” procedures on minors a felony.
The legislation, known as the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” would make any hormonal or sex reassignment surgeries on minors a Class C felony, which is punishable with 10-25 years in prison. A person who underwent any form of gender transition treatments is able to seek compensatory and punitive damages against the individual performing the procedure.
The bill outlaws any procedure “changing the body” of an individual to correspond to a member of the opposite biological sex, including castration, vasectomy, vaginoplasty and ovariectomy, the bill reads. It would also ban any hormone treatments, any form of plastic surgery to feminize or masculinize the face, chest implants and placement of fat in the gluteal region.
Federal funding for any of these procedures is prohibited under the proposed legislation and prohibits healthcare facilities located on federal lands or tribal territories from performing the procedures. It also outlaws institutions of higher education from offering instructions on the treatments.
The Protect Children’s Innocence Act has been introduced.
Thanks to all of the original cosponsors.@RepMaryMiller@RepJeffDuncan@RepBobGood @RepRalphNorman@RepMattGaetz@RepTonyGonzales@RepClayHiggins@RepBurgessOwens@RepTenney@Rep_Clyde@RepHarshbarger@Lancegooden pic.twitter.com/8P69HlQMbP
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 19, 2022
The bans do not apply to any individual diagnosed with an ovarian or testicular issue or an abnormal sex chromosome structure, the legislation states. Exceptions additionally apply to anyone suffering from a physical disorder or injury, or in a possibly fatal situation. (RELATED: Former Trans Woman Praises Laws Banning Sex Change Surgeries, Puberty Blockers For Minors)
“Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting provision of the medical services described in subsection (d)(1)(A) to address legitimate health issues, such as any male or female reproductive cancers, apart from changing the body to correspond to a sex that differs from one’s biological sex,” the bill read.
12 lawmakers, including Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, and Utah Rep. Burgess Owens originally cosponsored the bill. Two senate candidates, J.D. Vance of Ohio and Blake Masters of Arizona, expressed their support for the bill.
Greene said Thursday on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that these procedures are “child abuse” and must be outlawed.
“This is actually an assault and it’s child abuse,” Greene said. “This practice should never happen, it’s so disgusting and appalling and it’s an embarrassment to our country.”
The measure is modeled on an Alabama law that criminalizes any hormone treatments, puberty blockers or sex change operations for minors as Class C felonies. A federal judge temporarily blocked the ban in May, arguing that the Alabama state government had not provided evidence that the treatments are “experimental.” He further opined that parents and guardians, not the government, play a primary role in their children undergoing these procedures.