The Justice Department has declared its support for a group of Catholic nuns who challenge New York’s transgender policies. The nuns argue the policies could compel them to compromise their religious beliefs or stop caring for needy cancer patients in their last days. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon from the department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the issue, stating that American religious convictions should not be compromised in light of gender ideology.
For over a hundred years, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have offered free palliative care to cancer patients without means. Dhillon expressed concerns that New York’s legislation would make these nuns choose between their faith and their operating license to continue providing end-of-life care.
“States should take notice that they cannot require Americans to abandon their religious beliefs in the name of woke gender ideology,” stated Dhillon.
Operating a care home in Westchester County, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne claim that non-compliance with New York’s mandates could lead to fines, loss of licensing, and other penalties. They would have to assign rooms based on gender identity, not biological sex, and allow access to facilities based on preferred gender identity, among other requirements.
The New York transgender mandate, known as the ‘Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and people living with HIV long-term care facility residents’ bill of rights,’ was signed into law on November 30, 2023. It prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status in long-term care facilities.
In a lawsuit filed on April 6, the sisters noted that no complaints had been filed against them during the specified reporting period, in contrast to over 55,000 complaints against other facilities. Martin Nussbaum, representing the sisters, highlighted the risk of losing licenses for both their entity and staff.
“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s formal certification of Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne v. Hochul as a case of ‘general public importance’ is a positive indication for religious freedom,” Nussbaum stated.
A spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the legal challenge, labeling it an election year tactic targeting political opponents. They defended New York’s move to a single fiscal intermediary as a taxpayer-saving measure that combats fraud and waste, claiming legal and factual support for their actions.
Fox News Digital sought comments from the Department of Justice regarding the case.