U.S. Bishops Conference Again Praises Trump for Anti-Trans Executive Order

President Donald Trump’s executive order entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” was lauded by the current chair of the Committee chair on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). This was the second time in less than two weeks that a USSCB leader has praised Trump for executive orders which will have negative effects on transgender and nonbinary people. 

Bishop Robert Barron

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, praised the order which prohibits any medical institution receiving federal funds — including Medicare and Medicaid — from providing hormonal or surgical gender affirming care for those under age 19. It also removes such medical care  from the benefits of federal employees and military personnel. Additionaly, the order calls for a review of existing literature on youth transition. 

In a January 29th statement, the day after the order was released, Barron  applauded the order’s “aim to identify and develop research-based therapies to aid young people struggling with gender dysphoria,” adding that they deserve “care that heals rather than harms.” Barron’s sentiments echo the conference’s 2023 health care policy guidelines which states strongly prohibits gender transition. 

Barron’s statement continued: “Any technological intervention that does not accord with the fundamental order of the human person as a unity of body and soul, including the sexual difference inscribed in the body, ultimately does not help but, rather, harms the human person.” 

The bishop also cited the 2024 Vatican document Dignitas Infinita, saying that “Helping young people accept their bodies and their vocation as women and men is the true path of freedom and happiness.”

Trump’s order included similar language, claiming, without evidence, that youth transition often results in lifelong psychological and physical affliction. The Advocate reported that medical consensus holds that hormonal and surgical treatments are often life-saving for youth experiencing gender dysphoria:

“Every major medical organization—including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society—has affirmed that gender-affirming treatments are safe, effective, and often life-saving.”

In a 2023 viewpoint statement,Jack Resneck, Jr., then-president of the American Medical Association,wrote that “Decisions about gender-affirming care are properly made through shared decision-making between the patient, family, and physicians, without politicians inserting themselves into the medical exam room or second-guessing healthcare decisions.”

The Advocate noted that bans on youth transition are imposed in 25 states, though their statuses vary due to numerous legal challenges. Trump’s order comes in the leadup to the U.S Supreme Court’s ruling on United States v. Skrmetti, expected by the end of June, a case that may decide whether or not states can ban  on gender-affirming care.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, commented on the USCCB’s endorsement of Trump’s executive order by saying “Neither the president nor the bishops conference leaders show that they have the least bit of understanding of gender science and the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people.  Instead of issuing orders and statements, they should take the time to read and study the relevant literature, as well as listening to how medical interventions help people live authenticallyand often save lives.”

—Jeromiah Taylor (he/him), New Ways Ministry, February 6, 2025

For further reading:

Bondings 2.0:  Resilience, Not Dread, Is Proper LGBTQ+ Answer to Current U.S. Politics

Bondings 2.0: Cardinal Gregory’s Apology to LGBTQ+ Catholics Is a ‘Watershed Moment’

Bondings 2.0: Budde, Broglio, Romero, and McElroy: On Speaking Out Against Injustice

Bondings 2.0: Chicago Cardinal Calls for Deeper Listening to LGBTQ+ Catholics