Oppose HB3492 - Protect Access to Evidence-Based Medical Care for Minors

I urge you to oppose HB3492, the so-called Protect Children's Innocence Act, which would criminalize evidence-based medical care and impose up to ten years imprisonment on healthcare providers who offer gender-affirming treatment to minors. This legislation represents a dangerous federal overreach into medical practice that contradicts the established standards of major medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the American Medical Association. HB3492 would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to classify gender-affirming medical interventions as criminal acts, threatening doctors, parents, and guardians with federal prosecution for facilitating care that medical professionals recognize as appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria. The bill's sweeping prohibition eliminates medical judgment entirely, imposing strict criminal liability regardless of individual circumstances or the consensus of medical experts. The legislation creates serious constitutional problems. It violates equal protection principles by denying transgender minors access to medically necessary care available to other young people with comparable conditions. It infringes on substantive due process rights to medical care, bodily autonomy, and parental decision-making authority. By preempting state laws and imposing uniform federal prohibition, the bill tramples on traditional state authority over medical practice regulation. Medical literature documents elevated suicide risk for untreated gender dysphoria, yet HB3492 provides no mechanism for addressing cases where denial of treatment may result in serious mental health consequences. The severe criminal penalties will deter healthcare providers from offering any care that could potentially fall within the bill's broad definitions, even when narrow exceptions might apply. Healthcare decisions should remain between patients, families, and their doctors based on individual medical circumstances and professional judgment. I ask you to oppose HB3492 and protect access to evidence-based medical care for all young people who need it.