Can Catholic Hospitals Continue to Withhold Services to People Who Need Them

With the declining influence of the Catholic Church in politics, some now speculate on its ability to pass or keep legislation that withholds medical services to those who need them. 

Besides refusal to do abortions except just before a woman dies, Catholic hospitals today withhold some services to trans and gay people. They do this because of "conscience." This "conscience" does not include that of the patient. That patient's conscience or religious views do not count, period.

If a church denomination said it would not perform a medical service because a patient is black, we would call this discrimination. The Catholic Bishops do not allow Catholic hospitals to perform certain kinds of gender changing surgeries. This is discrimination just as refusing black patients. Religion was once used to discriminate against black people.

I've read that Catholic teaching encourages religious freedom. In addition is encourages freedom of conscience. It would be wonderful it Catholic hospitals actually practiced what the denomination preachers. There seems little if an room for the transgendered person to exercise freedom of conscience in a Catholic medical setting. The views of women and trans people do not count. 

There is no doubt Catholic hospitals discriminate. What they have not yet done is admit they discriminate and convince lawmakers why they should be allowed to do so. Transparency of this kind is not practiced today.

The practice of discrimination is especially important when a hospital has no competition. In rural areas is is not uncommon to find only one hospital and it is Catholic run. It is as if putting hospitals in rural areas is a way to impose Catholic views on the public. Government can take away the ability to discriminate but it has to have the resolve to do so. Mostly it does not. Along with this is the problem that people often don't know what services can be obtained at a secular hospital that may be withheld by a Catholic hospital. These past few years my daughter in law and granddaughters have been having babies in other states. I always tell them to avoid Catholic hospitals which they do. One had a "C section" which I understand is not available in some Catholic hospitals because of religious beliefs. 

The Catholic Church operates a lot of hospitals so is a significant part of U.S. health care. It need to be regulated so the same health care is available to all citizens regardless of race or gender.