Chloe Cole Act of 2026

Legislative bill overview

HR 7651 creates a private right of action allowing children and their parents to sue medical professionals for damage to healthy body parts resulting from certain medical interventions. The bill establishes a legal pathway for private lawsuits against healthcare providers without specifying which interventions qualify or what damages would be recoverable. This legislation is currently in the House Judiciary Committee for review.

Why is this important

This bill would significantly expand liability exposure for medical professionals and alter the existing medical malpractice legal framework by creating a new category of actionable harm. The outcome could affect healthcare delivery practices, malpractice insurance costs, and patient access to certain medical treatments depending on how "healthy body parts" and "certain interventions" are ultimately defined. Medical professionals and patient advocacy groups have competing interests in how broadly or narrowly this provision applies.

Potential points of contention

• The bill's language lacks clear definitions of which medical interventions trigger liability and what constitutes "damage to healthy body parts," creating uncertainty for healthcare providers about legal exposure
• Different stakeholders interpret "certain interventions" differently—some view this as targeting gender-affirming care, while others worry it could expand to other routine medical procedures depending on litigation outcomes
• The private right of action bypasses existing medical licensing boards and malpractice insurance mechanisms, potentially leading to duplicative litigation and unpredictable damages awards without professional regulatory oversight