Catholic Vote, a Catholic advocacy organization, said that some of the leading Catholic hospitals across the United States have performed transgender procedures on minors, which they claim is "in violation of Catholic medical ethics." This statement was made on X on October 8.
"A bombshell new database published today revealed that children have been subjected on a limited basis to “transgender” procedures in Catholic hospitals across the country, in violation of Catholic medical ethics," said Vote, Catholic Organization. "Do No Harm, a leading secular advocacy organization focused on combating transgenderism in medicine, released a website called stoptheharmdatabase.com which detailed where transgender surgeries and interventions are being performed on minors. That research revealed 170 children underwent transgender surgeries and 508 children received cross-sex hormone or puberty blocker prescriptions at Catholic hospitals in the United States between 2019 and 2023. The largest number of transgender interventions among Catholic hospitals was found at Providence Health & Services, the nation's fourth-largest Catholic health system."
According to Do No Harm, an advocacy organization, a database was released on October 8 listing hospitals and medical facilities that are "administering irreversible sex change interventions on children in the United States." The organization said the database "catalogs pediatric sex change-related services, including surgeries, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers, at U.S.-based medical facilities between 2019 and 2023."
In June 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to begin revising their Ethical and Religious Directives. This revision could potentially lead to a formal ban on gender-affirming care in Catholic hospitals. While many Catholic hospitals already avoid transgender surgeries and hormone treatments, this revision would solidify those policies. The bishops' March document said that such interventions are not morally justified. Some bishops have urged broader consultations with experts and transgender individuals during the process to ensure pastoral and clinical considerations.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has voted to draft bioethics guidelines addressing transgender care in Catholic hospitals. This decision follows a March document asserting that gender-affirming treatments contradict the natural order of male and female bodies. While some Catholic health institutions already avoid such treatments, revisions to the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) will formalize these restrictions. Concerns have been raised about the impact on transgender patients, especially given the increasing number of Catholic hospitals and evolving science on gender.
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