The US House passed the Protect Children’s Innocence Act on December 17, 2025, by a narrow 216–211 vote
The bill would make providing puberty blockers, hormone treatments, or gender-affirming surgeries to minors a federal crime
The criminal will face the penalties of up to 10 years in prison for providers and others involved.
The United States House of Representatives, on December 17, 2025, passed a bill that would criminalise gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. This bill marks a major legislative win for Republicans and a key priority tied to President Donald Trump’s campaign promises.
The bill, called the ‘Protect Children’s Innocence Act’, was introduced by Republican Party representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and passed by a vote of 216 to 211. It now moves to the U.S. Senate, where its future remains uncertain.
If enacted, the legislation would make it a federal crime to provide minors under the age of 18 with puberty blockers, hormone treatments, or gender-affirming surgeries. Health care providers, and anyone who facilitates or consents to such care, including parents, would face up to 10 years in prison and financial penalties.
“This important bill...will criminalize gender-affirming care on minors, not adults, on minors who have not yet grown up to make adult decisions,” Greene said ahead of the vote.
The bill expands existing federal definitions related to genital or bodily mutilation of a minor, explicitly criminalising female genital mutilation (FGM) while also banning medical procedures intended to change a child’s body to correspond to a sex that differs from their biological sex. Certain exemptions exist for rare medical conditions and emergencies, but none for mental health-related treatment.
Greene said the legislation reflects Republican campaign commitments and White House policy direction. She said the bill is a direct reflection of President Trump’s executive order and every single Republican's campaign promise in 2024.
Trump campaigned aggressively against transgender-related policies during the 2024 election and, early in his second term, moved to roll back federal recognition of diverse gender identities. His administration has sought to ban transgender people from serving in the military, restrict funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, and limit federal support for institutions offering gender-affirming care.
Most Republicans supported the bill, though four GOP lawmakers voted against it. On the other hand, three Democrats joined Republicans in backing the legislation.
Greene framed the bill as a child-protection measure, writing on X, “Protecting children is not optional, it’s our duty… Children are not old enough to vote, drive, or get a tattoo, and they are certainly not old enough to be chemically castrated or permanently mutilated!!!”
The vote marked a significant moment for Greene, who first introduced the bill in August 2022 and has repeatedly pushed House leadership to bring it to the floor. Despite House passage, the bill faces an uphill path in the Senate. More than half of U.S. states already restrict or ban gender-affirming care for minors. Still, providers in Democratic-led states have continued treating transgender adolescents.
Opposition from Democrats and advocacy groups was swift. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, criticised the bill outside the Capitol, saying, “All Republican politicians care about is making the rich richer and attacking trans people.”
Before the bill vote, Sarah also said that Republicans are obsessed with trans people and that they “think more about trans people than trans people think about trans people.”
After the bill was passed, Greene posted on X, “My Protect Children’s Innocence Act just PASSED the House!!! This is a win for children all over America!!”
Greene, who has increasingly clashed with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, announced last month that she will resign from Congress on January 5, 2026. In a video announcing her departure, she criticised Republican leadership and said Congress had become ineffective.
One day earlier, on December 16, 2025, she also announced her engagement to Chief White House Correspondent Brian Glenn.
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