Catholic Bishops Ban Gender Transition Treatments in Hospitals
Catholic bishops in the United States voted on Wednesday to officially prohibit Catholic hospitals from administering sex change medications or surgeries to transgender patients.
During a meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, the bishops approved updated guidelines for Catholic health institutions across the nation. This marked a significant step in a lengthy process aimed at addressing gender transition issues within the church, as noted by various reports.
The bishops will have the authority to implement new regulations tailored to their own dioceses. It’s worth mentioning that the majority of Catholic hospitals already do not offer sex-change treatments. A significant number of patients, about one in seven in the U.S., receive care in these facilities every day, according to the Catholic Health Association.
“I think it’s crucial for the church to take a firm stance on gender ideology,” remarked Bishop Robert Barron from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, during a public discussion about the new directive.
The Catholic Health Association expressed gratitude for the bishops’ guidance, reaffirming that Catholic hospitals will continue to provide care to transgender individuals.
“We remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, in line with Catholic social teaching and the imperative to serve all, particularly those who are marginalized,” the association stated.
The new directive incorporates earlier Vatican guidelines from 2024 and U.S. bishops’ instructions from 2023. In a doctrinal memo released in 2023 titled “Moral Limits to the Technical Manipulation of the Human Body,” the bishops asserted that “Catholic health services may not perform surgical or chemical interventions aimed at altering sexual characteristics of the human body to those of the opposite sex, nor engage in the development of such procedures.”
However, not everyone is on board with this decision. Some progressive Catholics and liberal religious groups expressed disappointment with the bishops’ decision. “Catholic teaching emphasizes the inherent dignity of every person, and for numerous transgender individuals, receiving gender-affirming care greatly improves their lives,” argued Michael Sennett, a board member of New Ways Ministries, an organization promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Massachusetts diocese.
