1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose HB3492, the so-called Protect Children's Innocence Act, which would criminalize established medical care and strip families of their fundamental right to make healthcare decisions for their children. This legislation threatens to imprison doctors for up to ten years and impose criminal liability on parents who seek medical care that major medical organizations recognize as appropriate treatment. HB3492 would override state laws and eliminate the medical judgment of physicians, replacing the expertise of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the American Medical Association with a rigid federal mandate. The bill defines sixteen surgical procedures and various medications as criminal acts, regardless of individual medical circumstances or the consensus of medical experts treating a specific patient. This represents an unprecedented federal intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship and family medical decision-making. The legislation's severe criminal penalties would force medical practitioners to abandon patients who need care, even in cases where the bill's narrow exceptions might apply. Doctors would face strict liability with no consideration for medical necessity or professional judgment. This creates a chilling effect that extends beyond the intended targets, as healthcare providers will avoid any treatment that could potentially be misconstrued under the bill's broad definitions. Parents have a constitutional right to direct the medical care of their children in consultation with qualified physicians. HB3492 would criminalize parents for exercising this fundamental authority, imposing federal criminal law on private family healthcare decisions that have traditionally been matters of state regulation and parental discretion. This bill abandons conservative principles of limited government, federalism, and family autonomy. It replaces medical expertise with criminal code and substitutes parental authority with federal prosecution. I ask you to stand with families and medical professionals by opposing HB3492 and preserving the right of parents to make healthcare decisions in consultation with their children's doctors.