From Aleteia:
For 125 years, the Dominican Sisters in Hawthorne, New York, have provided comfort and nursing care for under-resourced patients suffering from incurable cancer. But a new law has the sisters in fear of fines, court orders, potential loss of licensing, and jail time, forcing them to file a lawsuit on April 6, 2026.
In 2023, the New York State Legislature passed Bill S1783A, the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, and People Living with HIV Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights.” The Senate website says this law “prohibits a long-term care facility or facility staff from discriminating against any resident on the basis of such resident’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.” But for the sisters, the law discriminates against their rights to religious freedom. The Catholic Benefits Association (CBA), which advocates for Catholic employers’ rights to provide a workplace and benefits in line with their religious beliefs, is supporting the nuns in the case.