[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SAFEGUARDING THE OVERALL PROTECTION OF MINORS ACT

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I would like to rise and talk about the 
STOP Act, Safeguarding The Overall Protection of Minors--Safeguarding 
the Overall Protection of Minors, the STOP Act.
  Now, I wish we didn't have to introduce this bill. You know, as I 
pointed out earlier, I got to deliver over 5,000 babies. I just took 
care of countless adolescent girls, young women as well. So this is a 
group of patients that I think I understand pretty well and the 
challenges in their lives. And I certainly understand what irreversible 
medical interventions do when applied too early, without the maturity 
for this young lady to understand the consequences. In many cases, the 
parents don't understand the consequences, and in other cases, the 
parents may not even know this is going on.
  Now, across this country, minors are being placed on pathways toward 
puberty blockers. So it keeps a boy from becoming a man. It keeps a 
girl from becoming a woman. And we will leave it that simple. There are 
medications out there that delay puberty, and, by the way, they have 
significant consequences and complications as well.
  Others are given cross-sex hormones, and, again, these are 
irreversible. Once a woman starts growing a beard, even though she 
stops a hormone, chances are that beard is going to continue. If it has 
caused her to have male baldness, that is probably likely to never 
return to normal as well.
  And, of course, these surgeries are irreversible. They are permanent. 
They are painful. They cause chronic scar tissue and chronic pain, and, 
of course, it means they are infertile for the rest of their lives.
  Can you imagine letting a 13-, 14-year-old boy or girl decide that 
they will never have children again?
  Well, so how big of a problem is this? Why are Republicans concerned 
about it? Well, under extreme pressure, 14,000 minors--14,000 minors--
have been manipulated into undergoing life-altering sex-change 
procedures that leave them, as I said earlier, maimed, sterilized, and 
psychologically damaged.
  And my heart pours out to these young men and women. I can't imagine 
the challenges they go through. And we want to get them the help and 
the support that they need as well. But these irreversible surgeries 
and medications are not the answer. Instead they are going to 
complicate the situation.
  Look, you know, this practice of transgender surgeries and 
medications--it is not medicine; it is not caution. In fact, these 
actions are not medical care. They are child abuse.
  Think about it. Think about it. Who can argue with me that this isn't 
child abuse? And, sadly, I think when the history books are written, 
hundreds of years from now, this may be the darkest chapter in the 
history of medicine.
  Our STOP Act--again, the Safeguarding The Overall Protection of 
Minors Act--simply restores a basic standard. Children should not 
undergo irreversible procedures they cannot fully comprehend and can't 
undo. It holds providers accountable and ensures there are real 
consequences when that line is crossed.
  This is about giving children the time, the love, and the compassion 
they deserve before decisions are made that last a lifetime.
  And if I could, I would like to give a big shoutout to those 
organizations that have bravely stepped forward to support us: the 
Students for Life of America, the American Principles Project, and the 
Religious Liberty Commission. And I know there are others. So thank you 
for that support. Thank you for caring about children and young adults.
  So we owe them that protection. We owe our youngsters, our young 
adults this protection. And I urge our colleagues to support our STOP 
Act.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Louisiana.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, please vote for my S. Res. 526.
  I also ask that the vote on S. Res. 526 begin immediately.
  I withdraw that motion, but I still want you to vote for my S. Res. 
526.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from California.

                          ____________________