The Chloe Cole Act would prohibit healthcare professionals, hospitals, and clinics from providing puberty blockers, sex hormones, or gender-affirming surgeries to minors under age 18, with narrow exceptions for treating disorders of sexual development and other medical conditions unrelated to gender transition. The bill creates a private right of action allowing individuals and their parents to sue healthcare providers for damages if they receive these treatments, including compensatory damages for correcting effects, non-economic damages for emotional distress, and punitive damages if providers acted maliciously or recklessly. The law applies to any treatment that involved interstate commerce in any form—such as using mail, crossing state lines, or accepting insurance payments—and would allow lawsuits to be filed up to 25 years after a person turns 18, or 4 years after paying for detransition treatment, whichever is later. Healthcare providers claiming an exception applies must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the treatment qualifies, and the bill contains no specific appropriations or federal funding mechanism.
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