The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate Rosary Hill Home in New York, have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a state mandate they say violates their religious convictions. The April 6 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York names state officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul, and is supported by the Catholic Benefits Association.
The dispute centers on New York’s LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights, which requires facilities to assign rooms based on gender identity, use preferred pronouns at all times, and promote policies affirming sexual preferences. The mandate also requires staff training in gender ideology. The sisters argue these directives conflict with their mission to provide faithful, Christ-centered care to terminally ill cancer patients.
In the complaint, they state, “It would contradict the teachings of the Bible concerning God’s creative sovereignty, contradict reason and truth, and betray our sacred obligation not to knowingly harm other persons, particularly the most vulnerable.”
The lawsuit seeks to block enforcement of the policy, citing violations of constitutional religious freedom protections.
