GOP senator introduces 'STOP Act' to ban trans procedures for minors, fine doctors up to $100K
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., recently introduced a bill in Congress that would outlaw trans procedures for minors and punish the doctors who perform them with civil penalties of up to $100,000.
The Safeguarding The Overall Protection of Minors Act or "STOP Act," which Marshall introduced Wednesday, will prohibit sex-change procedures from being performed on minors and authorize the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on persons who "knowingly perform, attempt to perform, conspire to perform, or provide a referral for any gender transition procedure on a minor,” according to the text of the proposed legislation.
The bill would also allow people who have been subjected to trans procedures as minors the right to sue if they come to regret their decision. It would also empower the attorney general to establish a grant program to assist those seeking to reverse the effects of such procedures.
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"Americans resoundingly rejected the Left's dangerous transgender agenda. Let's call it exactly what it is: child abuse," Marshall said in a press release. “The days of demented doctors and activists getting rich off of mutilating, sterilizing, and castrating children are over.”
"Our legislation keeps children's safety paramount by prohibiting anyone from performing, facilitating, or even conspiring to give these irreversible therapies and procedures to minors," he added. "This bill is just the beginning of what's to come with President Trump at the helm and our unwavering commitment to protecting children from transgender activists' twisted and criminal agenda."
During a recent interview with Newsmax, Marshall conceded his bill faces "an uphill battle" to find co-sponsors and that it will require the support of some Senate Democrats if it is to avoid a filibuster.
"One of President Trump's promises was to stop the mutilation of children and our bill does exactly that," Marshall told the outlet, adding that it is "really important that we protect the children who don't have the emotional maturity to make this type of decision yet."
Marshall's bill comes a week after he participated in a panel on Capitol Hill regarding the negative impact of the burgeoning $4.4 billion "gender industrial complex" and the importance of legislative protections against it.
Marshall, a nondenominational Christian and obstetrician by profession, acknowledged the financial incentive behind the medical aspect of transgender ideology, but also noted that he believes there are other forces behind the movement.
"I think there's something probably even deeper, though, that's really nagging at me here," he said. "This is an attack on our values. It goes even deeper than just profit margin and how much money you can make from this."
“But I think ultimately, people who are saying that God is wrong — that the sex we were given, that God must have been wrong on this, and if you would just change your sex, it would solve all your problems.”
Marshall's proposed legislation came the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, which will determine the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibits puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in minors. Similar laws exist in 23 other states, and the court's decision in the case could have an effect on such state laws.
Some liberals protesting outside the Supreme Court who spoke to The Christian Post explained their belief that banning trans procedures for minors transcends the political divide and is "a human rights issue."
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
