The "Rhode Island's Children Deserve Help Not Harm Act" seeks to prohibit gender transition procedures for individuals under eighteen, including puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and gender reassignment surgeries. The bill mandates that healthcare professionals and institutions cannot provide or facilitate these procedures and prohibits health insurance plans from covering them for minors. It also restricts the use of public funds for any entity offering gender transition services to individuals under eighteen.

The legislation establishes that any referral for or provision of gender transition procedures to individuals under eighteen years of age is considered unprofessional conduct and is subject to disciplinary action by the appropriate licensing entity. Additionally, the bill allows for a private cause of action, enabling individuals to seek damages for violations of the chapter, including compensatory damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees for successful plaintiffs.

A thirty-year statute of limitations is established for individuals who have undergone gender transition procedures, allowing them to pursue civil actions for damages after reaching adulthood. Exceptions to the statute of limitations are provided for cases involving mental incompetence or threats and fraud by healthcare professionals. The Attorney General is granted the authority to enforce compliance with the provisions of the act.

The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027, allowing time for minors currently in treatment to taper off their medications under medical supervision.