What Comes After Transgender?

A California Court of Appeals ruled recently that a Catholic hospital could be sued for refusing to allow a transgendered man — meaning a biological woman — to receive a hysterectomy as part of the transition process from female to legally recognized male. The hospital, Dignity Health of Sacramento, adheres to the principles of Catholic medicine, which holds that removing a healthy organ in a situation in which there is no biological pathology — which would also sterilize the patient — violates Church dogma. Tough toenails, the court ruled. The hospital discriminated based on sexual identity, and thus, the allegedly wronged patient has the right to seek redress.