U.S. Catholic bishops urged medical professionals to not perform gender transition surgeries, warning that they are not a “not morally justified” practice, according to a Monday statement.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released its statement titled “Doctrinal Note On The Moral Limits To Technological Manipulation Of The Human Body” Monday to address the recent controversy surrounding transgender ideology within the church. The bishops acknowledged the benefits of modern technology in the medical field, but also said that some of the results of technological advancement can inhibit the “true flourishing of the human person.” (RELATED: Notre Dame Invites Gay Priest For ‘Queer Holiness’ Event)
“These technological developments have provided the ability to cure many human maladies and promise to cure many more,” the statement read. “What is widely in practice today, however, and what is of great concern, is the range of technological interventions advocated by many in our society as treatments for what is termed ‘gender dysphoria’ or ‘gender incongruence.’ These technological interventions are not morally justified either as attempts to repair a defect in the body or as attempts to sacrifice a part of the body for the sake of the whole.”
Pope Francis attends the Ash Wednesday mass at the Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome, Italy, on February 22, 2023. (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)
While the statement acknowledges that the desire to change human beings has been around for centuries, the bishops argue that the technology in place today means churches need to establish where the moral boundaries to such procedures lie. The statement also criticized the use of puberty blockers for minors and encouraged protection for children who are “still maturing and who are not capable of providing informed consent.”
The USCCB’s statement also pointed to Pope Francis’ thoughts on the subject in the past, where the church’s leader warned against falling “into the sin of trying to replace the Creator.” The pope came out recently against the transgender ideology, calling it one of the “most dangerous ideological colonizations” in recent history.
According to Francis, the ideology “blurs differences and the value of men and women.”
“Why is it dangerous?” the pope said. “The question of gender is diluting the differences and making the world the same, all dull, all alike, and that is contrary to the human vocation.”
USCCB concludes the 14-page statement by encouraging Catholic medical professionals to “promote the flourishing of the human person” and regularly weigh the moral consequences of different practices as technology continues to advance.
Chieko Noguchi, executive director of the USCCB Office of Public Affairs, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the bishops had been “looking into this topic” for several years.
“Catholic health care services have the duty to provide a model of promoting the authentic good of the human person,” Noguchi said. “In their document, the committee emphasizes that this is done in the reality that technological interventions that are widely in practice today that are advocated by many in society as treatments for gender dysphoria or gender incongruence. This statement is a call to those in ministry to provide the best medical care, as well as Christ’s compassionate accompaniment, to all patients.”
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