The New Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (7th ed.) Call Catholic Providers to Greater Fidelity to the Magisterium

The new Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) document was released in early November 2025. This latest edition is relatively consisent wih the previous 6th edition. However, it does now require certain ministry positions to be filled by practicing Catholics, restricts gender-related services to psychosocial interventions for gender dysphoria, and clarifies how to handle sexual assault victims who may be at risk of assault-related pregnancy (consistent with the 5th edition of the ERDs).

It appears the the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops seeks to reinforce fidelity to the Magisterium by clarifying some of the grey areas that Catholic providers may struggle with. Pax Consulting can help organizations ensure that they do not put their Catholic identity at risk. Reach out to us for more information and discovery how we can help advance human flouishing through bioethics.