By The U.S. House of Representatives late Wednesday approved legislation that would make it a federal crime to perform gender transition procedures on minors, marking the first time such a proposal has cleared the chamber despite limited Republican defections.
The measure, titled the Protect Children’s Innocence Act (PCIA), passed with overwhelming Republican support and the backing of three Democrats. Introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, the bill creates a class C felony for doctors or others who provide puberty blockers, hormone treatments, or surgical interventions to individuals under the age of 18, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The legislation also extends criminal liability to parents or adults who assist minors in obtaining the procedures.Reps.
Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, along with Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, broke with most Democrats to support the bill. All three represent politically competitive districts that have shifted toward Republicans following recent redistricting, as both parties position themselves ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Four Republicans voted against the legislation, noted The Daily Caller, showing that the party is not entirely united on whether or not children should their genitals removed: Reps. Gabe Evans of Colorado, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Kennedy of Utah, and Mike Lawler of New York.
Advocacy groups backing the bill applauded the outcome. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, said in a statement, “Republicans showed today that they are as committed to protecting children as Democrats are to disfiguring them. Democrats have been captured by an ideology that is as poisonous as it is profitable.”
Greene has pursued a nationwide ban on gender transition procedures for minors since 2022. She secured the House floor vote by conditioning her support for advancing the annual National Defense Authorization Act. “I refused to vote for the rule to the NDAA to force a vote on my bill, it’s a shame that’s what it takes,” Greene wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
The maneuver prompted internal GOP criticism. During a House Rules Committee meeting, Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, objected to the arrangement, saying, “Marjorie was given this vote to buy her vote on the NDAA. That’s the kind of shit that happens around this institution and I’m sick of it.”
Greene fired back, accusing Roy of trying to dilute the legislation to “continue the trans agenda on kids.” Roy had offered an amendment narrowing the bill’s scope, arguing it would improve the measure’s prospects in the Senate and with the White House.
I refused to vote for the rule to the NDAA to force a vote on my bill, it’s a shame that’s what it takes. Then voted NO on final passage of the NDAA bc of all the foreign war funding.
But Chip is now trying to pass his amendment, that actually weakens my bill and protects… https://t.co/9iS3UWiRFk— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 17, 2025
More than half of U.S. states already enforce restrictions on gender transition procedures for minors, with some states also limiting out-of-state travel for such services. The issue has remained a focal point during President Donald Trump’s second term. On his first day back in office, Trump signed executive orders cutting off federal funding for institutions that provide the procedures to minors and directing the federal government to recognize only two biological sexes.
Several Democrat-led states, including California, New York, and Maryland, continue to allow, and in some cases, promote, the treatments despite federal actions. Studies have shown that “gender affirming care” doesn’t actually help children with body dysmorphia in any way.
Dr. Paul McHugh, the university distinguished service professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explains:
“Transgendered men do not become women, nor do transgendered women become men. All (including Bruce Jenner) become feminized men or masculinized women, counterfeits or impersonators of the sex with which they ‘identify.’ In that lies their problematic future.”
Greene is set to resign from Congress in January 2026, following a public shift from her earlier role as a staunch Trump ally to a more critical stance toward aspects of his current administration, a change she announced in a video last month.
[Read More: Greene Issues Major Warning To Party]
