Bill > SB2031

This bill establishes a new legal pathway for individuals to sue healthcare professionals if they suffer harm from certain medical procedures, specifically those intended to align a person's identity or physical characteristics with a gender different from their sex assigned at birth, or to treat discomfort related to such a discordance. The bill defines "coercion" as it is defined in existing Tennessee law, and a "healthcare professional" as any licensed or certified individual or facility regulated by the state's health department or related boards. A "medical procedure" under this bill includes surgical interventions or the prescription of puberty blockers or hormones, but excludes treatments for congenital defects, precocious puberty, diseases, or physical injuries. The core provision allows a person, or their parent or guardian if the person was a minor at the time, to file a civil lawsuit for damages, attorney fees, and court costs if their consent to such a procedure was influenced, in whole or in part, by coercion from the healthcare professional. This action must be brought within eighteen years of the procedure, with specific extended deadlines for minors, allowing them up to thirty years after turning eighteen or ten years after their death.