U.S. Catholic Bishops Officially Prohibit Gender Transition Care in Catholic Health Facilities

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has voted to formally ban gender transition treatments at Catholic healthcare institutions across the country, reinforcing the Church’s moral stance on medical procedures related to gender identity.

Meeting in Baltimore on Wednesday, the bishops overwhelmingly approved revisions to their Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, which guide thousands of Catholic hospitals and medical providers nationwide. The new directives explicitly prohibit surgical, hormonal, and psychological treatments intended to facilitate gender transition.

The move finalizes a yearslong internal process within the Catholic Church to address questions surrounding transgender healthcare. Each diocesan bishop will now have the authority to implement the updated rules within their jurisdiction.

More than one in seven patients in the United States receive care from Catholic hospitals, according to the Catholic Health Association (CHA). In some regions, these facilities are the only available medical centers.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Winona-Rochester Diocese in Minnesota said the Church’s stance was intended to provide moral clarity.

“With regard to the gender ideology, I think it’s very important the Church makes a strong statement here,” Barron said during the public discussion of the new guidelines.

The Catholic Health Association expressed appreciation that the bishops incorporated much of its input into the updated document.

“Catholic providers will continue to welcome and care for those who identify as transgender with dignity and respect,” the CHA said in a statement. “This reflects Catholic social teaching and our mission to serve all people, especially those on the margins.”

The bishops’ decision draws from a 2023 doctrinal note, Moral Limits to the Technological Manipulation of the Human Body, which stated that Catholic healthcare services “must not perform interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex.”

However, the decision has drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and some progressive Catholic organizations. Michael Sennett, a transgender Catholic and board member of New Ways Ministry, said that for many trans people, gender-affirming care is vital.

“For many trans people, gender-affirming care is what makes life livable,” Sennett said. “It’s not just a biological decision, but a spiritual one.”

The U.S. bishops’ debate over gender identity coincided with a statement from leaders of several other religious denominations — including the Episcopal Church, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — expressing solidarity with transgender people.

“Let it be known that our beloveds are created in the image of God — holy and whole,” their joint statement read.

In addition to the gender care decision, the bishops’ assembly also approved a “special message” condemning the Trump administration’s immigration policies, voicing opposition to “indiscriminate mass deportation” and calling for compassion toward migrants and refugees.

“We are saddened by the climate of fear around immigration enforcement,” their statement said. “We remain committed to defending the dignity of every human person.”

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