Bishops vote to ban gender transition treatments at Catholic hospitals

The bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted on November 12 to approve a document prohibiting Catholic health care facilities from performing treatments on patients seeking to change their gender presentation.

The landslide vote saw 206 bishops in favor, with just eight against. A total of seven bishops abstained. The directives needed the support of two-thirds of the bishops present, something that was easily surpassed.

Under the new Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs), Catholic health care institutions, such as hospitals, are told not to provide treatments that "aim to transform sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex."

This includes both surgical and non-surgical interventions, such as cross-sex hormone therapy or preventing normal puberty.

The Catholic Health Association, a membership organization of Catholic health care in the United States, praised the changes in a November 12 statement posted to its website.

"The revised Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) for Catholic Health Care Services, recently approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reaffirm the Church's teaching on the dignity of all persons and their right to life from conception to natural death," said the statement.

The Catholic Health Association continued, "From our initial review of this seventh edition of the ERDs, the Catholic Health Association (CHA) appreciates that the USCCB incorpeorated much of the input we and our members provided during the revision process. The changes reflect our health care ministry's ongoing commitment to serve those who are most vulnerable; promote the common good; and provide holistic care for the mind, body, and spirit according to our Catholic teaching and tradition."

The new edition of the ERDs serves to "clarify and affirm current clinical practices," said the Catholic Health Association.

"Regarding the new directives for the care of transgender persons, these changes are consistent with Catholic health care practice that does not allow for medical interventions that alter sexual characteristics absent an underlying condition," said the statement.

While Catholic providers will not provide treatments intended to alter the sexual characteristics of a person to a chosen gender, these same providers "will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender," said the statement.

"We will continue to treat these individuals with dignity and respect, which is consistent with Catholic social teaching and our moral obligation to serve everyone, particularly those who are marginalized. Catholic health care will also continue to advocate for the right of everyone to access high-quality health care.”

The new ERDs are a formalized version of a 2023 "doctrinal note" that was released by the USCCB's Committee on Doctrine.

In that note, the doctrinal committee urged Catholic health care institutions and providers to “employ all appropriate resources to mitigate the suffering of those who struggle with gender incongruence, but the means used must respect the fundamental order of the human body. Only by using morally appropriate means do healthcare providers show full respect for the dignity of each human person.”

“The search for solutions to problems of human suffering must continue, but it should be directed toward solutions that truly promote the flourishing of the human person in his or her bodily integrity,” said the note.