Providing Transgender People Health Care Violates Religious Beliefs, New Lawsuit Claims

[Rocknrule]

Source: Think Process

Texas state officials have made no secret about their desire to discriminate against transgender people. A new lawsuit filed Tuesday makes clear that they now don’t even want to provide transgender people health care.

Just a day after a federal court blocked the Department of Education from protecting transgender students from discrimination in schools thanks to a different lawsuit, Texas — joined by Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Kansas and represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — filed a new complaint challenging regulations from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibit discrimination against transgender people in health care. The rule ensures that trans people can access medically necessary treatment in procedures, have those procedures covered by insurance, and have their gender respected in medical facilities.

In addition to the five states, the plaintiffs include the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA)and Franciscan Alliance, a Catholic hospital system. According to the complaint, these organizations object to providing services (or even referrals) for transition-related care or providing insurance that covers such care because it violates their religious beliefs.

Essentially, this suit is akin to Hobby Lobby, except it objects to transgender care instead of birth control.

Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/transgender-health-care-suit-texas-a0aeae6aaff4?gi=c12fda02af46#.sach8xdkh

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"Not letting me discriminate against people is discriminating against me" - The GOP platform

[louis-t]

1. Republicans are genocidal maniacs.

That is all.

[MynameisBlarney]

2. Don't be ridiculous!

They're also massive, flaming douchehammers.

[vlyons]

7. Republican party and all that support and use it

are a vast criminal enterprise.

[SpankMe]

8. You're giving genocidal maniacs a bad name. n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Boundaries, Boundaries

Tolerance, Tolerance

My religious beliefs don't extend to others through the products I make,
the services I provide, the taxes I pay, the money I spend

[elleng]

4. REALLY, CHRISTIAN Medical and Dental Associations,

FRANCISCAN Alliance, CATHOLIC hospital system?

[YOHABLO]

5. Hate is a strong word: I hate Republicans.

[Stonepounder]

6. This kind of shit drives me crazy!

This allowing 'religion' into health care is total crap.

I live in Northern Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. All of the hospitals and most of the doctors on this side of the river are affiliated with St. Elizabeth Health Care. But, if you want a vasectomy, or to have your tubes tied, you have to go to a hospital in Ohio, because those procedures are against Catholic doctrine and so none of the St. Elizabeth hospitals will provide those services.

Our health insurance is a Medicare Complete insurance and is much better than anything else available around here. But, it is offered through St. Elizabeth Health Care. In order for a doctor who is not directly working for St. Elizabeth Health Care to accept our insurance, they have to agree to follow Catholic health care doctrine. Most doctors go along, but some find it not worth the hassle.

For example, there is only one ENT specialist in all of Northern Ky who will take my insurance and he is a generalist rather than a specialist. He's good for sore throats and giving shots, but he doesn't know squat about my condition and admits it. (To show how crazy this all is, he's Jewish, but has to agree to practice Catholic medicine!) If I want to see a doctor who knows anything about my condition, I have to drive about an hour into Cincinnati to find an ENT who will accept my insurance, (St. Elizabeth Health Care is, so far, only in Ky.)

I'm still trying to figure out what sort of medicine an ENT would be prohibited from practicing by agreeing to practice only 'Catholic approved' health care?!?

Are we heading toward having to declare our religion, sexual orientation, party affiliation, etc before a doctor will treat us?

[CincyDem]

9. Definitely a crazy maker.

But let's be clear, the catholic church is creating a monopoly on health care in a variety of regions...not just ours. Your crazy Jewish doc might have had privileges at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. But that's now a Mercy Hospital, in spite of still being called "The Jewish Hospital". Don't hold your breath for a vasectomy or tubal ligation there.

Mercy Heath's mission: Mercy Health extends the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our communities with emphasis on people who are poor and under-served.

And let me tell you, there's more than a few 80 year old Jews in Cincinnati who get the surprise of their life when they check into The Jewish Hospital and find crucifixes on the walls.

Not sure about your ENT issues but Catholic Approved health care isn't a future fantasy...it's today's reality for a whole bunch of folks.

[Stonepounder]

10. Absolutely. (and Howdy, neighbor!) n/t

[CincyDem]

11. And Howdy to you.

I seek forgiveness now for future less than complimentary comments I've been known to make about the state that gave (and continues to give) us the likes of Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul...to say nothing about Matt Bevin. I'm sure you had nothing to do with it but sometimes I drive through cave country and it just makes me crazy !

So, in the future when I rant about those red asshats in Ky, I'll try to parenthetically add &quot except Stonepounder)"?

[Stonepounder]

14. I agree with you, Cincy.

How Ky can vote for the likes of them is something I will never understand.

[wordpix]

24. def weird how much $$ these Xtian orgs have, for example:

In my area, a huge new bldg. went up on prime farmland recently, looks like a big box store but it's a Xtian church/school. Last time I went by it looked very well off with new plantings, parking lot and sign.

Seems to me that since these religious orgs get tax benefits, anyone and everyone can say they're a Xtian non-profit and not pay taxes?

[truthisfreedom]

12. Flat earth society is more progressive than this bunch.

If they don't want to do their jobs, tell them to find new ones.

[geek tragedy]

13. the horrid progeny of Hobby Lobby nt

[Cryptoad]

15. No wonder Texas is so broke

they spend all their tax revenue paying GOP lawyers to defend laws they knew would not pass constitutional muster when they passed them.

[Vinca]

16. Apparently the phrase "all God's children" is lost on them.

Selectively pious Bible thumpers.

[marble falls]

17. I don't get it...

As far as I remember, God made man (which includes women and children) in his image. It doesn't say anything about making them straight; that verse doesn't exclude or make exceptions for gay men, lesbian women, etc. I've about had it with all these judgmental people.

[milestogo]

18. Providing hetero women with abortion services also violates some religious beliefs

Fortunately, our country is not based on religious beliefs.

[Yo_Mama]

22. Doctors and hospitals aren't required to perform them now.

Some don't, unless they truly are medically necessary.

Same thing with surgical sterilizations.

[sarcasmo]

19. Religion makes me sick.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Freeing slaves violates Religious Beliefs, Southern slave-holding states claimed. . . . nt

[Yo_Mama]

21. I agree with the lawsuit. I just looked it up.

http://www.becketfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Franciscan-Alliance-v.-Burwell-Complaint-Filed.pdf

The regulations would require physicians and medical centers to perform certain procedures they might feel are unethical/harmful.

I don't think this is the way to go. I don't think it would work out well, and I don't think it will make for competent transition care.

[Ilsa]

23. These are the religious nuts Trump said he

would empower if he became president. And this kind of bigotry is why more young people are refusing to affiliate with any specific church, even though they say they are not atheist or agnostic.

[wordpix]

25. aren't religious orgs exempt from taxes? That would explain their takeover of med facilities

IOW, say you're a Xtian-run hospital when really, it's a tax haven

[Iliyah]

26. God loves everyone. To deny humans the right in keeping healthy is against

humanity.