Catholic Nuns Who Care for the Dying Say NYC’s ‘Trans Rule’ Could Shut Them Down

A group of Catholic nuns who have devoted their lives to caring for dying cancer patients is now locked in a dramatic legal battle with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, arguing that a state transgender rule could force them to violate their faith, abandon their mission, or face devastating penalties — including massive fines, loss of their license, and even jail time.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who run Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, New York, say they have spent more than a century serving the poor, the sick, and the dying without taking a dime from the government, insurance companies, or even the families of the patients they care for. Their work, they say, is rooted in one simple mission: to serve Christ by comforting those nearing the end of life.

Now, they say that mission is under direct threat.

“We are consecrated religious Sisters and have one mission,” Mother Marie Edward, O.P., said in a statement. “It is to provide comfort and skilled care to persons dying of cancer who cannot afford nursing care. We do not take insurance or government funds or money from our patients or families. The care is totally free.”

She added that the sisters do not discriminate and care for all people because of their religious calling.

“We are supported by the goodness of our benefactors,” she said. “We do this without discriminating on the basis of race, religion, or sex. We do it because Jesus taught us that, when the least among us are sick, we should care for them, as if they were Christ himself.”

At the center of the fight is a New York law signed by Hochul on November 30, 2023, called the “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and people living with HIV long-term care facility residents’ bill of rights.” The law bars long-term care facilities and their staff from discriminating against residents based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.

But the sisters argue the state is going much further than simply banning discrimination.

According to the lawsuit filed this week, the law and related guidance would require Rosary Hill Home to assign rooms based on gender identity instead of biological sex, allow access to opposite-sex bathrooms, use preferred pronouns, permit gender identity expression practices that conflict with Catholic teaching, train staff under state-approved gender ideology standards, and publicly post a notice declaring compliance.

The sisters say those demands directly clash with their Catholic beliefs and put their entire ministry at risk.

“New York’s gender ideology mandates not only violate our Catholic values, they threaten our existence with fines, injunctions, license revocation, and even jail time,” Mother Marie Edward said. “This is why we were forced to go to court to seek protection of our religious exercise and freedom of speech so that we can continue our ministry to the poor.”

The legal fight escalated after the New York State Department of Health reportedly sent Rosary Hill Home the first in a series of “Dear Administrator” letters on March 18, 2024, outlining what the Catholic Benefits Association described as the state’s demands. Those letters allegedly included a training curriculum requiring the sisters and their staff to align patient care practices with the state’s gender identity rules.

If they refuse, the consequences could be severe.

According to the lawsuit, the Dominican Sisters could face fines of up to $2,000 per violation, with repeat violations rising to $5,000. They also face the possibility of court-ordered compliance, loss of licensing, fines up to $10,000, and as much as one year behind bars.

For many conservatives and religious liberty advocates, the case is shaping up as another flashpoint in the growing national fight over whether deeply held religious beliefs will be protected when they collide with progressive state policies.

What makes the case even more striking is the sisters’ record.

In the lawsuit, the order points out that from February 1, 2022, through January 31, 2026, the New York State Department of Health received zero complaints from Rosary Hill Home residents. During that same four-year period, the suit says, other nursing homes across the state racked up more than 55,000 complaints, with facilities averaging 23 citations each.

In other words, the sisters argue they are being targeted not because they failed patients, but because they refused to bend to an ideology that violates their faith.

Sister Stella Mary, O.P., the administrator of Rosary Hill Home, said the order’s mission has always been sacred and deeply personal.

“Our foundress, Mother Alphonsa Hawthorne, charged us to serve those who are ‘to pass from one life to another’ and to ‘make them as comfortable and happy as if their own people had kept them and put them into the very best bedroom,’” she said. “We intend to continue honoring this sacred obligation but need relief from the Court to do so.”

Hochul’s office did not directly comment on the case. Fox News Digital reported that a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health said the agency does not comment on pending litigation, but added that the department is committed to enforcing state law protecting nursing home residents from discrimination, including on the basis of gender identity or expression.

Still, the image of Catholic nuns caring for terminally ill patients being threatened with fines and prison time is already fueling outrage among conservatives who see the case as a stunning example of government overreach.

For the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the fight is not about politics. It is about survival.

They say they simply want to continue doing what they have done for generations: offering free, compassionate care to the dying poor without being forced to betray their faith in the process.