Catholic Hospitals Ban Gender Transition Surgeries Nationwide
U.S. Catholic bishops took a firm step this week, voting to prohibit gender-transition surgeries and cross-sex hormones in the nation’s vast network of Catholic hospitals. The move drew strong backing from Catholic medical groups that have pushed for this change for more than a decade.
Bishop Robert Barron didn’t mince words. “It’s very important the church makes a strong statement here,” he said during the Baltimore meeting. His remark landed with weight – and honestly, even I was a bit surprised by how united the room seemed.
The bishops’ vote updates the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, rules that guide more than 600 hospitals and 1,600 other facilities. Catholic hospitals treat roughly one in seven patients nationwide, so the decision isn’t symbolic. It’s real and immediate.
Auxiliary Bishop James Massa reminded delegates that the issue “received intense scrutiny by multiple experts” before Wednesday’s vote. He pointed to years of input from physicians and bioethicists who warned about long-term harms in what he called “experimental paths” for minors and adults.
And doctors echoed that concern. “This had become a true public health concern and needed to be addressed more prominently,” said Dr. Tim Millea of the Catholic Medical Association, noting the sharp rise in young patients seeking invasive treatments. He’s watched the debate shift – I’ve seen that same shift since about 2018 myself.
The bishops cited the Vatican’s recent documents that forbid altering healthy sexual characteristics, emphasizing that Catholic providers may only use treatments “that respect the fundamental order of the human body.” One bishop asked whether removing healthy organs for psychological reasons could ever align with that principle – a question that hung in the room.
Catholic hospitals won’t turn patients away. “We will continue to treat these individuals with dignity and respect,” the Catholic Health Association said. Yet the group also praised the clarity of the ban.
And as several bishops noted, the shift isn’t happening in a vacuum – the number of college students identifying as transgender has dropped by 50% from just a few years ago, which made many leaders in and out of the Catholic church wonder whether young people were rushing into gender identy decisions they didn’t fully understand. It’s hard not for most to ask the obvious question here: how do you justify irreversible surgeries when both kids and adults are coming forward later saying the procedures left them with permanent scars – physical and otherwise?
What happens next depends on local bishops, hospital boards…and the pressures they’ll face from every side.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
