The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a document titled "Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body," which outlines guidelines for altering the human body. 

The statement, put out by the Committee on Doctrine, asserts that medical intervention should serve to repair a bodily defect or can be done if sacrificing a part of the body is necessary for the benefit of the whole. Under that approach, the bishops acknowledge that procedures like the removal of cancerous tissue and similar procedures are not considered mutilation, Stream reported. 

“I’m blessed to be included with these faithful men,” Tyler Bishop Joseph Strickland said in a recent tweet that accompanied a photo of some of the Catholic leaders on the committee. “Let us pray that many more shepherds will speak against the tyranny of evil in our time.” 

The Committee on Doctrine said it was addressing interventions that are promoted to treat gender dysphoria, where surgical or chemical techniques are used to change a patient's sex characteristics. These interventions are deemed inappropriate as they do not align with the essential nature of a human being as a combination of both body and soul. Consequently, Catholic healthcare services are urged not to perform such procedures, the USCCB said in a release. 

The USCCB’s opposition to gender-affirming care has faced criticism, even from some Catholics working in transgender healthcare and ministry. 

"Catholic health care providers will continue to respect the dignity of our transgender patients and provide them with the same quality care we provide to all our patients," Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said in a statement put out by that group. "We recognize that the well-being of the whole person must be taken into account in deciding about any therapeutic intervention or use of technology in caring for our patients.” 

Speaking for the other side, the Ruth Institute, a global organization that strives to protect the institution of family, commended the USCCB for its compassionate and rational stance on gender modification, especially for youth, the Stream report said.

“Science shows that ‘watchful waiting’ is the best policy for the vast majority of young people who experience gender dysphoria,” Ruth Institute president Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse was quoted as saying in that report. “Roughly 80-95% will accept their sex by late adolescence. The bishops’ guidelines for addressing gender incongruence would gently steer these youth and their families away from irreparable damage and into the relatively safe strategy of psychological support.”