Protect Children’s Innocence Act

The Protect Children's Innocence Act (S 2357) prohibits federal funding for gender-affirming care and makes it a federal crime to perform such care on minors (individuals under 18), with penalties including fines and up to 12 years in prison. The bill defines gender-affirming care broadly to include surgeries, hormone treatments, and certain medical procedures to change physical characteristics to align with a gender different from biological sex, with limited exceptions for medical conditions. It prohibits federal health facilities from providing such care, restricts federal funding for health coverage that includes gender-affirming care (allowing separate non-federal funding), and prohibits institutions of higher education from teaching gender-affirming care. The bill also makes individuals who perform such care on minors deportable under immigration law. The law does not apply to treating complications from gender-affirming care or to individuals with certain medical conditions as defined in the bill.