The Deacon's Bench
From The Washington Post:
An organization of Catholic businesses is suing the Obama administration over a federal rule they say will force Catholic hospitals and doctors to perform gender reassignment services against their faith.
The Catholic Benefits Association filed the lawsuit Wednesday in North Dakota District Court along with the Catholic Diocese of Fargo. In a statement, the groups called the rule part of a “multi-agency effort to redefine the term ‘sex’ in federal anti-discrimination laws.”
The lawsuit concerns a rule that went into effect in July clarifying an anti-bias provision of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. The health law prohibits discrimination in certain health programs that receive federal funding. While it does not explicitly apply to transgender people, the rule issued by the Health and Human Services Department specifies that it considers discrimination on the basis of gender identity a form of sex discrimination, as other agencies and many courts have done.
This is not the first time the Obama administration has come under fire for strengthening protections for transgender people. In May, the Education Department directed public schools to allow students to use the bathroom that matched their gender identity. The directive was blocked after 13 states sued, saying it was improperly issued. The question of how schools must accommodate transgender students will be considered by the Supreme Court later this year in a case brought by a high school student from Virginia barred by his school district from using the boys’ restroom.
Gay and transgender rights groups said the health rule offers critical protections for transgender people because they often struggle to receive appropriate care from physicians and hospitals.
Image: Catholic Benefits Association
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In