Court Blocks Obamacare Transgender Surgery Mandate

A federal court blocked an Obamacare mandate that would compel doctors to perform gender reassignment surgery.

An order of Catholic nuns challenged the mandate under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that it forces doctors to violate their consciences and medical judgment. A North Dakota district court judge ruled on Tuesday that nuns and other religious health care providers were harmed by the law.

"Absent an injunction, they will either be ‘forced to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs' by performing and covering gender-transition procedures ‘or to incur severe monetary penalties for refusing to comply,'" District Court Judge Peter D. Welte wrote. "An injunction will also advance the public interest because the protection of constitutional rights is ‘always in the public interest.'"