Youth Patient Allegedly Denied Care by Catholic Medical Group Because She Is Transgender

A Catholic healthcare group has denied care to a young patient based on her gender identity with one doctor allegedly telling her mother, “We don’t see transgendered patients in this clinic.”

The patient, Tiffiny Moutardier, 14, and her mother, Jean, had sought care from Emmaus Health Partners, Ann Arbor, over concerns that she might have ADHD [Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder]. The clinic provides mental health services and, importantly, was in-network for the family’s health insurance. Michigan Radio reported further that during the appointment, a medical assistant noted Tiffiny was on estrogen, a hormone used in gender transitions. The news report noted that Dr. Scott Waclawik confirmed the estrogen:

“But the doctor said he couldn’t help.

“‘”I don’t think we have the means to help what seems to be such an extreme case”‘ of ADHD, Jean recalled the doctor saying, and asked Jean to talk with him in his office.

“With her daughter left behind in the exam room, Jean said Waclawik told her Emmaus is a religious health clinic, and ‘”we don’t feel comfortable with Tiffinny’s presence in our office.”‘

“‘”We don’t see transgendered patients in this clinic,”‘ Jean said he told her. Outraged, she accused him of denying her daughter medical care. At that point, Jean recalled, he seemed to backtrack: We’d be happy to see your daughter if she had a cold, he told her.”

Jean informed Tiffiny that the clinic was denying her treatment, about which she told Michigan Radio, “It was just so bad. Like it just made me feel like, what a terrible place.” The report added:

“At first, Tiffinny said, she hesitated to talk publicly about what happened. Her biggest fear was that someone at school would find out. At the time of the appointment in May, Tiffinny was just finishing 8th grade and was not out at school.

“But over the summer, Tiffinny changed her mind. For one, she knew she wanted to come out in high school, to finally be her ‘true self’ in every part of her life, she said. And her parents convinced her that talking publicly about what happened could help others, and ‘raise awareness to how these bad things happen,’ she said.”

The family has filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and a separate complaint with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Emmaus Health Partners denies wrongdoing and would not comment about a specific patient’s care. However, its executive director, Amanda McMillan, noted in a statement that while “we do not discriminate against patients based on gender identity nor do we refuse to provide care,” they “do not have the expertise” for gender-affirming care of transgender patients.

The family’s complaint comes after the Michigan state legislature expanded its Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ+ protections earlier this year. The state’s Catholic bishops had opposed the expansion, and once it was passed, two Catholic parishes with the backing of the Diocese of Lansing filed a lawsuit against the law, claiming it infringed on their religious liberty. The court dismissed the suit because the parishes lacked standing to file it.

However, as Michigan Radio pointed out, as the expanded non-discrimination statue goes into effect, left unresolved is whether religiously-affiliated healthcare organizations will be able to use religious belief as a reason to reject patients:

“Emmaus Health Partners is not seeking a religious exemption to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. But the clinic does follow the Catholic church’s guidance on medical issues, including not providing patients with birth control or abortions. . .

“Marcelina Trevino, the director of enforcement in the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, said it’s unclear how much leeway, if any, the courts will give religious organizations that don’t want to provide medical care for transgender people. . .

“‘We are in court, and the Attorney General’s office is representing us, in matters where religious organizations have gone to court arguing their religious exemption or exception or protections in these matters,’ Trevino said. ‘However, it’s unknown still how the courts will make a determination on that.'”

Such legal contests in which LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protections become a target of conservative activists under the guise of religious liberty concerns are not exclusive to Michigan. As Bondings 2.0 showed in a recent series, these legal disputes are proliferating quickly, with some of these cases reflecting the complexities of a pluralistic society negotiating public policy.

But Michigan Radio noted this is not one of those complex cases: the incident is not actually about gender-affirming care or religious liberty. Tiffiny simply wanted treatment for suspected ADHD from Emmaus Health Partners, something the clinic provides to all sorts of patients. Nothing in Catholic teaching or the bishops’ healthcare directives objects to such mental healthcare. If care was denied to Tiffiny because she is transgender, that is simple discrimination antithetical to Catholic values.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, September 7, 2023