Action Required! Urgent!

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is vigorously opposing provisions in a rule proposed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS Section 1557) that would prevent Catholic hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities and health care workers from carrying out their mission.

The Issue:

• HHS would impose new mandates about gender identity—deeming it discrimination for a health care worker or Catholic institution to object to performing gender transition procedures, regardless of whether the objection is a matter of religious belief or clinical judgment.
   
• The proposed rule suggests that the government may refuse to honor the right of health care workers and providers not to perform or participate in abortions.
   
• The regulations offer no assurance that the right to conscience or religious objection would be upheld. In fact, HHS is currently fighting court rulings that hold that HHS violated religious freedom laws.

Our Church's Position:

• Objection to gender transition is not discrimination.
   
• No one should be denied health care because of his or her sex.
   
• Gender transition procedures (e.g., administration of puberty blocking drugs, surgery to remove healthy body parts) are harmful. These are clinical judgements, not discrimination.
   
• If a doctor prescribes transgender patient antibiotics for strep throat but does not perform a gender transition procedure, it is an objection to the procedure not to the person.
   
• Health care workers and religious facilities must be free to conscientiously object to harmful procedures.

Visit www.usccb.org/do-no-harm for more information and to voice your objection to the HHS proposals. HHS NEEDS TO HEAR YOUR OPINION BY OCTOBER 3!