Federal Judge Finds That Catholic Hospital Broke the Law for Denying Transgender Surgery

Friday’s ruling by a federal judge in Maryland was that a Catholic hospital discriminated against a biological woman who identified as transgender and refused to give her a hysterectomy. 

Jesse Hammons, a transgender patient was represented by American Civil Liberties Union during a lawsuit against University of Maryland Medical System. According to Baltimore-based outlet WBFF:

Hammons went to St. Joseph’s in 2019 seeking a hysterectomy to treat his gender dysphoria, a procedure used to remove a person’s uterus. The procedure was approved by Hammons’ doctor and set for January 2020.

However, after Hammons’s doctor discussed the upcoming procedure with St. Joseph’s chief medical officer, it was determined the facility could not do such a procedure because it did not align with the ethical and religious directives it was required to follow.

Hammons was told then that the procedure couldn’t be performed. He was then told that the procedure could not be performed.

“This court has determined that undisputed facts establish that, as a matter of law, Defendants discriminated against Plaintiff on the basis of his sex,” Deborah Chasanow, District Court Judge, wrote her ruling. She also wrote that the hospital refusing to perform the surgery violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws and that the hospital, which receives Medicare and Medicaid funding, violated a section of the Affordable Care Act. 

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Circuit 8th Circuit Blocked Biden’s Health and Human Services department from enforcing finalized regulations pertaining to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act against several Catholic organizations, according to The Christian Post. The appeals court found that the Biden administration couldn’t force hospitals with religious affiliations to provide transgender care. This came after Biden’s HHS’s interpretation of the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557 deemed that “sex” Includes “gender identity.” 

Last week, Townhall Covered A New Hampshire transgender worker filed suit against his Christian employer after he was denied coverage “gender-affirming” This includes hormone therapy treatments as well as sex reassignment surgeries.

“She has needed, and continues to need, hormone replacement therapy, counseling, and medically recommended surgeries to treat her gender dysphoria,” The complaint was filed.

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