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.”