A Republican-backed bill in Wisconsin would allow individuals who underwent gender-affirming care as minors to sue the doctors who performed those treatments for any resulting physical or psychological harm.
The proposal, introduced by Sen. Rob Hutton (R–Brookfield) and Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie), would let patients file lawsuits until age 33 for injuries tied to gender-transition procedures.
“This legislation does not ban procedures, penalize providers or criticize anyone based on their identity. It does protect children by creating a new level of accountability for medical practitioners while incentivizing them to follow widely recognized standards of due diligence,” Hutton said during a Nov. 5 Senate Committee on Health hearing.
Nedweski added, “Patients, particularly minors, who suffer lasting physical or psychological harm, are too often left without meaningful legal remedies.”
The bill outlines exceptions for doctors who document that gender transition treatment is the only option for a patient after multiple evaluations by physicians and mental health providers, and who obtain ongoing consent with repeated state-mandated warnings. (RELATED: Poll: Majority of Wisconsin Voters Oppose Increased Education Spending)
Major medical organizations have strongly opposed the proposal. Groups registered against it include Children’s Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Medical Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Wisconsin Chapter, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto the bill if it passes. In 2023, Evers rejected a similar Republican measure that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, vowing to block any legislation restricting LGBTQ rights. (RELATED: Wisconsin Moves Toward Digital Driver Licenses—But Privacy Critics Pump the Brakes)
