STOP Act Safeguarding The Overall Protection of Minors Act
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
This bill would prohibit medical gender transition procedures on minors and allow the federal government to impose civil penalties on healthcare providers who perform such procedures on children.
Why it matters: This legislation directly addresses parental rights and protection of minors by restricting access to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions that Christian families may view as contrary to their values and their child's wellbeing.
Topic: Gender & sexuality · classifier confidence 98%
What this changes
Creates a new law or program
Law today: The bill does not spell out the prior law. Federal law does not currently contain a nationwide prohibition on gender transition procedures for minors, though some states have enacted their own restrictions.
If passed: This bill would make it illegal at the federal level to perform gender transition procedures on minors and would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on doctors or other persons who do so. Christian parents who oppose these procedures would gain federal legal backing for their ability to direct their children's medical care away from such interventions.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Religious-liberty and pro-family advocacy organizations — Parents have the right to direct their children's upbringing and medical decisions according to their conscience and religious beliefs, and children deserve protection from irreversible medical procedures.
- Medical-ethics groups skeptical of pediatric transition — Gender transition procedures on minors lack sufficient long-term safety data and should not be performed on developing individuals who cannot fully consent.
Likely opposition
- Medical associations and pediatric-health organizations — Current clinical guidelines support access to gender-affirming care including medical interventions for some transgender youth, and federal prohibition interferes with individualized medical judgment.
- LGBTQ+ advocacy and civil-liberties organizations — The law restricts healthcare options for a vulnerable population and violates the rights of transgender youth and their families to make medical decisions.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Should I support this?
Likely helpful for Christian families
For Christian families who believe parental authority over children's medical decisions should reflect religious conviction and that children should be protected from irreversible medical interventions, a federal prohibition on gender transition procedures aligns with those values and strengthens parental rights in medical decision-making.
An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.
Official summary
To prohibit gender transition procedures on minors, to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on persons who perform gender transition procedures on minors, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
- Diana Harshbarger (R)
- Addison McDowell (R)
- Marlin Stutzman (R)
- Mary Miller (R)
- Russell Fry (R)
- Greg Steube (R)
Status timeline
- 2026-04-29Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.H
- 2026-04-29Introduced in HouseH
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly