The U.S. bishops voted Friday to move forward with a significant revision to their document offering guidance to Catholic health care institutions on the issue of transgender surgeries and hormone treatments, and their incompatibility with the Church’s teaching on sex and the dignity of the human person.
Newsroom(17/06/2023 20:00, Gaudium Press) In a significant move, the U.S. bishops voted on Friday 16th June 2023 to proceed with a substantial revision to their guidance document for Catholic health care institutions regarding transgender surgeries and hormone treatments. This revision aims to address the incompatibility of these procedures with the Church’s teachings on sex and the dignity of the human person.
The Committee on Doctrine, comprising the bishops, will initiate the process of updating a portion of the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) for Catholic health care services. This update will reflect the committee’s March doctrinal note, which emphasized the prohibition of interventions that aim to transform a person’s sexual characteristics into those of the opposite sex or participate in the development of such procedures.
The ERDs serve to reaffirm ethical standards based on Church teachings and provide authoritative guidance on moral issues. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who chairs the Committee on Doctrine, highlighted that the portion to be updated, specifically concerning the professional-patient relationship, has remained unchanged since 1994.
Flores noted that the need for specific guidance on radical modifications to the human body, as advocated in gender dysphoria treatment today, was not anticipated in 1994. The doctrinal committee plans to incorporate the guidance from the March doctrinal note into the ERDs through extensive consultation with bishops, moral theologians, medical ethicists, physicians, and other stakeholders in the field of Catholic health care. Following this consultation, the draft will undergo review, discussion, and ultimately a vote by the entire body of bishops.
The motion to revise the ERDs was passed unanimously after some discussion on the floor, where several bishops emphasized the importance of clarity, a pastoral approach, and consultation with experts in the field.
Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego highlighted the challenge of maintaining Catholic doctrine while addressing the suffering experienced by those with gender dysphoria. He called for considerations on how to assist individuals struggling with dysphoria to be incorporated into the ERDs, as he felt the current doctrinal note did not address this issue.
The March doctrinal note, titled “Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body,” stressed the need to continue seeking solutions to human suffering while ensuring they promote the flourishing and bodily integrity of the human person. McElroy encouraged broad consultation within medical communities and among individuals experiencing dysphoria.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, also advocated for inclusive consultation, emphasizing the importance of involving individuals from the transgender community.
Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas, expressed the need for clarity between genuine gender dysphoria and the ideology surrounding gender. He hoped that the revision process would establish a clear distinction between the two phenomena, enabling the creation of a broader pastoral document.
Addressing the Care of Persons with Disabilities
During the bishops’ spring gathering, another motion was advanced to update the bishops’ pastoral statement on persons with disabilities. Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chair of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, acknowledged the positive impact of the current statement over the past 45 years but emphasized the need for a new statement to address disability concerns in the modern Church.
The proposed updates include focusing on the vocations of persons with disabilities, promoting themes of hope and joy rather than stigmatization, and using current disability language instead of outdated and derogatory terminology. The updated statement may also encompass a broader understanding of disability, including mental illness.
Several bishops commended the collaboration between the bishops and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Bishop John Folda of Fargo, North Dakota, highlighted the growing prevalence of assisted suicide and euthanasia targeting people with disabilities, urging the need to address
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA