The Protect Children’s Innocence Act Passed By Minimum Vote

Written by David E. Smith

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3492 — the Protect Children’s Innocence Act — on December 17, 2025, by a narrow 216–211 vote. The legislation now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

This landmark bill, sponsored by U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), would amend federal law to make it a crime to provide gender-affirming medical procedures or medications (including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-reassignment surgeries) to minors under the age of 18. Under H.R. 3492, individuals who knowingly perform or attempt such procedures could face fines and up to 10 years in prison.

In the U.S. House vote, the bill received support from a majority of Republicans and three Democrats, while 207 Democrats and four Republicans voted against it. As for the Illinois Congressional Delegation, it was a partisan down the line: 14 Democrats voting Yea, 3 Republicans voting Nay:

Leaders Praise the Legislation

Reflecting the urgency felt by many supporters of the legislation, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller posted on X saying:

“Vulnerable kids are being pushed into irreversible gender surgeries they cannot possibly understand or consent to. It’s not ‘healthcare.’ It’s CHILD ABUSE, and doctors who perform these procedures should be in jail.”

Her statement underscores the deep concern among Republican lawmakers about the ethics and long-term effects of gender-transition treatments for minors. This reflects a recent Pew Research poll which found that 56% of American adults favor making it illegal for health care professionals to provide medical care related to gender transitions for minors, with strong partisan differences (79% of Republicans support restrictions vs. 35% of Democrats).

U.S. Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) applauded the passage of the bill, calling it an important step to shield children from “radical woke policies” that put them at risk of irreversible medical decisions. “Protecting our children isn’t a choice — it’s our moral duty,” he added.

U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) also released a statement underscoring the importance of defending children’s well-being, framing the vote as part of a broader effort to protect minors from what he and fellow conservatives consider harmful medical interventions. In his statement he plainly asserts:

“As I have long made clear, the trans agenda is abhorrent and should be criminalized.” 

Pro-family advocate and commentator Riley Gaines also took to X to voice strong support for passage of this bill, calling procedures that alter children’s healthy bodies “the biggest medical scandal the world has ever seen.”

The evidence does not support the claim that sex-reassignment surgery improves mental or social well-being. Even when surgeries are technically successful and performed in cultures that enthusiastically promote transition, those who undergo these procedures continue to experience high rates of psychological distress and poor life outcomes.

More than a decade ago, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine psychiatrist Dr. Paul McHugh addressed this reality in an article titled, “Transgendersim: A Pathogenic Meme.,” He wrote:

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. (Read more HERE.)

Despite this, sex-reassignment medical interventions are now described by some activists and policymakers as a healthcare “right.” That claim is impossible to justify. Gender dysphoria remains a mental health diagnosis defined by psychological distress and, until the DSM-5 revision in 2013, was explicitly classified as a mental disorder. Yet the proposed “treatment” permanently sterilizes patients and often inflicts irreversible bodily harm—procedures that increasingly resemble medical experimentation rather than medicine properly understood.

By contrast, Bible-believing Christians affirm that human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made, created male and female from the beginning by our Creator (Psalm 139:14; Genesis 1:27; 5:2; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6). Scripture teaches that the two sexes possess equal dignity and are designed to live in a complementary relationship to one another.

The concept of “transitioning” from one sex to another therefore represents a rejection of God’s created order. Our bodies are not incidental to who we are; they are an inseparable part of our identity and a temporary stewardship entrusted to us by God. The separation of “gender” from biological sex is a modern social construct—one that has been promoted within academic circles and aggressively reinforced by the political Left and its allies in the media.

What’s Next

With passage complete in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 3492 now moves to the U.S. Senate, where its fate is uncertain. The bill will likely face procedural hurdles, including the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. Supporters in the U.S. House — and among conservative advocacy groups — are urging the U.S. Senate to take up the bill and act quickly to protect minors nationwide.

IFI will continue advocating for policies that protect children, affirm parental rights, and uphold truth in biology. We will continue to hold the civil magistrates accountable for protecting our civil rights, whose origin and ultimate authority is not them, but our Creator.

Read more:

RFK Announces 6 Moves to Crack Down on ‘Sex-Rejecting Procedures’
(The Daily Signal)