National Catholic Bioethics Center vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed October 2, 2026 3 min read

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is an American religious nonprofit opposed to all forms of transgender healthcare, including social transition.

Its mission is “to uphold the dignity of the human person in health care and biomedical research, thereby sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church.”

Background

In 1972, the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center was chartered with help from the Catholic Hospital Association (now the Catholic Health Association).

In 1976, the organization began publishing Ethics & Medics, a monthly commentary on medical-moral issues. In 1980, it launched a recurring medical-moral workshop for bishops, supported by Knights of Columbus.

Their headquarters moved from St. Louis to Boston in 1985, then relocated in 1997 to the campus of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. In 1998, they changed their name to National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC). In 2004, NCBC moved to Philadelphia.

In 2001, NCBC launched the academic journal The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly.

2016 NCBC position statement

In 2016, NCBC published a “Brief Statement on Transgenderism” which argues that a person cannot change their sex and that gender transition is incompatible with Catholic teaching and “with what the authors call “sound science.” They call for therapy rather than transition.

It states that Catholic healthcare organizations should not adopt policies affirming transition or require staff to perform, refer for, or cooperate with it. It also states that Catholic schools should not change names on records, use students’ preferred pronouns, allow opposite-sex uniforms, or grant access to opposite-sex bathrooms and locker rooms. It states that employment policies should reflect Church teaching, and Catholic institutions should not comply with government mandates they consider “immoral.”

In 2023, NCBC shared a similar anti-trans position statement by the Catholic Medical Association.

People

Board

Timothy P. Broglio
Edward J. Burns
Alvin A. Clay, III
John A. Di Camillo

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Gregory M. Aymond
John O. Barres
James F. Checchio
James D. Conley
Earl K. Fernandes
José H. Gomez
Nelson J. Pérez
Patrick E. Kelly
Charlotte Kiesel
John I. Lane
Deborah E. O’Hara-Rusckowski
Thomas M. Pitre
John Sauder
Mary Clare Spencer Starshak

Staff

John A. Di Camillo: President, Ethicist
John F. Brehany: Ethicist
Edward J. Furton: Ethicist, Director of Publications
Marie T. Hilliard: Ethicist
Joseph Meaney: Ethicist
Phil Tran: Ethicist
Joe Zalot: Ethicist

Brendan J. Lyons, Managing Editor
Julie Kelley, Manager of Educational Programs & Events
Kevin J. Kelly, Executive Director of Operations & Finance
Veronica Mason, Operations Specialist
Gerard P. Behe, Associate Editor
José Zerón, Executive Director of Development
Peggy Welsh, Executive Assistant to the President & Office Manager
John Boyden, Staff Assistant
Alex Fleming, Data Specialist

Fellows

Marianne Cano
Mark Hnatiuk

Interns

Max Brown
Nicole Orendain
Alexander V. Pham
Theresa Williams
Alyssa N. Montalbine
John McCullough
Madeline McKechnie

Selected publications

Staff report (September 9, 2023). CMA Releases Position Paper on Gender Ideology and Its Harm to Children. National Catholic Bioethics Center https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/65119625a4830d7ef6b440d3/1759351707849/CMA+Releases+Position+Paper+on+Gender+Ideology.pdf

Catholic Medical Association (2023). The Ideology of Gender Harms Children. https://www.cathmed.org/resources/the-ideology-of-gender-harms-children/

National Catholic Bioethics Center (2016). Brief statement on transgenderism. The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, 16(4), 599–603. https://doi.org/10.5840/ncbq201616457

full text https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb96ca6784e2246467b42b1/1589210278798/Q16.4_05_TransgenderStatement_REV.pdf