Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System and its Towson-based St. Joseph Medical Center are facing a lawsuit after canceling a hysterectomy for a transgender man, according to The Baltimore Sun.
In the suit filed last week, Jesse Hammons claims his First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated, along with the Affordable Care Act, when his hysterectomy was canceled a week before it was scheduled. The lawsuit claims St. Joseph administrators told Mr. Hammons he couldn't receive the surgery at the hospital because it would violate Catholic doctrine, which prohibits "actions that are intrinsically immoral, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide and direct sterilization," according to the lawsuit.
Mr. Hammons' physicians recommended that he have a hysterectomy as a medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria, according to the lawsuit. However, an administrator allegedly later told the surgeon that performing the hysterectomy would violate the directives and that the man's gender dysphoria did not qualify as an adequate medical reason for the procedure.
St. Joseph routinely performs hysterectomies when medically necessary, according to the lawsuit. The organization treated Mr. Hammons differently than patients who are not transgender and require hysterectomies for other medical conditions, the suit claims.
"[St. Joseph Medical Center] was built on a mission of loving service and compassionate care and we sincerely regret the hurt and frustration caused by this event," organization officials said in an emailed statement to Becker's. St. Joseph doesn't discriminate or "treat any patient differently on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation," the statement reads, adding that patient health and safety is the organization's highest priority.
The statement explains that as a Catholic hospital, St. Joseph operates under certain ethical and religious directives, but patients seeking care banned by the directives can receive care at other UMMS hospitals. Officials declined to comment on case specifics, citing patient privacy.