MADISON – Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie), alongside Sen. Rob Hutton (R–Brookfield), has introduced legislation aimed at protecting vulnerable children from irreversible harm caused by gender transition procedures. The bill, LRB-2406, creates a civil cause of action for individuals who were injured by such procedures as minors, holding health care providers accountable for resulting harm.
“Pharmaceutical companies and health care providers have built an extremely lucrative business model that preys on vulnerable children, generating billions of dollars annually,” said Rep. Nedweski. “As doctors continue to promote so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for young children—despite the lack of long-term studies on potential side effects—it’s essential that we provide victims of harmful gender treatments with the same type of legal recourse as anyone else hurt by a medical professional.”
Under the proposed legislation, individuals who underwent a gender transition procedure while under the age of 18 would be allowed to file a civil lawsuit against the health care provider if they suffered injury as a result. The bill establishes an extended statute of limitations, permitting claims to be brought up until the age of 33, acknowledging that the consequences of these procedures may not fully emerge until adulthood.
“Gender dysphoria has historically been exceedingly rare, affecting less than 0.01% of the population,” Nedweski added. “But in recent years, diagnoses have skyrocketed. Between 2017 and 2021, the number of children ages 6–17 diagnosed with gender dysphoria increased by 178%. This surge is largely driven by the medical establishment’s aggressive push to prescribe harmful drugs like puberty blockers, creating lifelong pharmaceutical dependency.”
Recent estimates place the lifetime cost of medical transition between $87,000 and $410,000 for biological males, with costs for biological females potentially exceeding $600,000. In 2022 alone, the global sex reassignment surgery market was valued at $4.12 billion.
“Medical accountability should not be a partisan issue,” Nedweski said. “We have a duty to ensure children are protected from experimental treatments that can inflict lasting damage on their bodies and minds as they mature.”
