A federal appeals court has blocked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing a regulation requiring medical professionals and health insurance providers to perform gender-transition procedures against their beliefs.
In the decision released Friday by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the three-judge panel granted a permanent injunction to the Religious Sisters of Mercy and a coalition of other Catholic healthcare and insurance providers against what critics call the “transgender mandate.”
In May 2016, the HHS Office of Civil Rights finalized regulations for Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The agency added gender identity and sexual orientation to the provision prohibiting discrimination in healthcare settings. The rule was repealed during the Trump administration but reinstated by the Biden administration in May 2021.
The injunction means that the parties named in the case — including Religious Sisters of Mercy, Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, SMP Health System; University of Mary, Catholic Benefits Association, Diocese of Fargo, Catholic Charities of North Dakota and Catholic Medical Association — do not have to conduct the procedure if they violate their religious beliefs and medical judgment.
Biden admin. can’t force Catholic doctors perform gender surgery | Politics News
Biden admin. can’t force Catholic doctors perform gender surgery | Politics News
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