Catholic Church formally bans gender-affirming care at its hospitals

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Catholic Church formally bans gender-affirming care at its hospitals

https://www.advocate.com/news/catholic-church-gender-affirming-care 🔗

Ryan Adamczeski (13 Nov 2025)

The country's largest nonprofit health care provider will no longer offer gender-affirming care after Catholic bishops voted to ban the life-saving treatment in all church facilities.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly approved the rule on Wednesday, which affects everything from hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries to talk therapy and other mental health services for all ages. While facilities run by the Catholic Church typically have not offered the care, the vote makes denial the official policy.

There are more than 650 Catholic hospitals and 1,600 Catholic long-term care and other health facilities in the U.S., according to the Catholic Health Association, which is the largest nonprofit provider of health care services in the nation. The organization estimates that it cares for approximately one in every seven patients across the country each day.

The group praised the decision as "consistent with Catholic health care practice," but said in a statement that "Catholic providers will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender."

The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization all agree that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and medically necessary not just for adults, but minors as well.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I have a mammogram appointment at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital on Monday. It's not exactly gender-affirming care to them, but it is affirming to me.

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