Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 20, 2021 / 07:55 am
A federal court struck down the transgender mandate on Tuesday, the eve of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
The mandate that doctors perform gender-transition surgeries upon the referral of a mental health professional-despite objections that the doctor may have to the procedure-dates back to the Obama administration.
On Tuesday evening, Judge Peter Welte of the Eastern District of North Dakota granted Catholic groups that challenged the mandate permanent injunctive relief from having to provide or cover gender-transition procedures.
Luke Goodrich, VP and senior counsel at Becket, which represented the plaintiffs, called the decision a "Major victory for #ReligiousFreedom."
A coalition of Catholic organizations representing hospitals, doctors, and clinics, joined in part by the state of North Dakota, had challenged the mandate in court. The Catholic groups alleged that the mandate required them to perform and provide insurance coverage for gender-transition surgeries and abortions, against their conscientious objections.