Leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church gathered in Baltimore this week and voted to bar gender transition treatments from hospitals under their authority. The decision came during the plenary assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where revisions to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services passed with strong support.
These changes prohibit hormonal therapies, surgeries, and other interventions aimed at altering sexual characteristics to match the opposite sex. The bishops based the policy on prior Vatican guidance, including a 2023 document titled “Moral Limits to the Technological Manipulation of the Human Body.”
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota stated during discussions: “With regard to the gender ideology, I think it’s very important the church makes a strong statement here.”
Catholic hospitals serve a significant portion of patients nationwide—one in seven daily, according to the Catholic Health Association. In rural areas especially, they often stand as the sole providers of care. While most such facilities already avoid these procedures, the new rule makes the stance uniform and explicit.
The Catholic Health Association responded by affirming its commitment to treating all individuals: “Catholic providers will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender. 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.”
Critics from progressive corners decried the move. Michael Sennett, a transgender man involved in his Massachusetts parish, said: “Catholic teaching upholds the invaluable dignity of every human life, and for many trans people, gender-affirming care is what makes life livable.”
Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, an advocacy group for LGBTQ Catholics, added that for some, “the transition process was not just a biological necessity, but a spiritual imperative.”
Leaders from other denominations, including the Episcopal Church and Union for Reform Judaism, issued a joint statement in opposition: “During a time when our country is placing their lives under increasingly serious threat, there is a disgraceful misconception that all people of faith do not affirm the full spectrum of gender – a great many of us do. Let it be known instead that our beloveds are created in the image of God – Holy and whole.”
This policy arrives amid broader debates over transgender rights. Recent court rulings, such as an appeals court upholding Arkansas’s ban on such care for minors, signal shifting legal tides. The Supreme Court is also weighing whether faith-based counseling on gender identity qualifies as protected speech.
On the same day, the bishops approved a pastoral message expressing solidarity with immigrants amid concerns over the Trump administration’s enforcement plans. The statement noted: “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.”
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich urged firmer language against mass deportations, calling it “the central issue we are facing with our people at this time.” The message reflects ongoing tensions between church teachings on human dignity and national policies, especially as the federal government recently lifted restrictions on enforcement near churches and hospitals.
With Catholic institutions playing a vital role in American health care, this ban reinforces the church’s commitment to its doctrinal foundations, even as external pressures from activist groups and shifting societal norms mount. The decision leaves implementation to individual dioceses, allowing bishops to adapt as needed while upholding core principles.
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