A transgender man in the US is suing a Catholic hospital for refusing him surgery which would've formed part of his sex change.
According to the Daily Mail, Jionni Conforti (above), 33, is bringing a lawsuit against St Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey.
It's after the hospital refused to give him a hysterectomy in 2015, aimed to be part of his transitioning from female to male, on what Conforti claims were religious grounds.
Conforti said: "I felt completely disrespected. That's not how any hospital should treat any person regardless of who they are.
"A hospital is a place where you should feel safe and taken care of. Instead, I felt like I was rejected and humiliated."
He has since had a hysterectomy at another hospital but says he is suing to ensure other people do not have to go through the same experience as him.
St Joseph's Regional Medical Center has not yet offered comment on the lawsuit against it.
The case cites an email from the hospital's director of mission services, Fr Martin Rooney, which allegedly says they could not permit the hysterectomy because the hospital is Catholic.
Meanwhile a federal judge in Texas has blocked new regulations which supporters say are aimed at barring some forms of transgender discrimination in the healthcare system.
Several states along with Christian organisations have sued over the legislation, saying it could force them to go against their consciences.
Bishop John Folda of the Fargo Diocese said in a statement: "While initiating a lawsuit is not something we take lightly, this new mandate represents a grave threat to religious freedom."
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