Others, such as the pro-LGBTQ Catholic organization New Ways Ministry, argued the bishops have ignored the risk of suicide among transgender youth, which experts have reported is notably higher than in the rest of the population.
RELATED: Catholic nuns’ letter declares trans people ‘beloved and cherished by God’
A coalition led by Catholic nuns and representing thousands of women religious and associates at partner groups released a letter a few weeks after the bishops’ statement, declaring transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive individuals “are beloved and cherished by God.” The letter was seen as a de facto rebuke of the bishops’ statement.
In recent months, 18 states have restricted or banned gender-affirming care. In Florida, GOP presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in May that not only banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, but also made it harder for adults to receive such treatment.
This article appeared on ReligionNews.com.
 to amend its directives for U.S. Catholic health care organizations, setting in motion a process that could bar Catholic hospitals and other church-affiliated institutions from providing gender-affirming treatment to transgender people.){kind=link}