Welcome to the TMS Weekly Dispatch for May 5, 2025—with the latest news and updates from the front line, to keep you in-the-know on all things Thomas More Society. If you missed last week’s Dispatch, you may read it by clicking here.

Here’s a look back at the past week:

WASHINGTON STATE LAW WOULD FORCE PRIESTS TO VIOLATE SEAL OF CONFESSION—CHOOSE BETWEEN JAIL OR EXCOMMUNICATION: On Friday, May 2, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Senate Bill 5375, which mandates that clergy members, including Catholic priests, report child abuse or neglect even if the information is received during the Sacrament of Confession. In essence, the new law seeks to force priests to violate the inviolable Seal of Confession—potentially putting them in a position of choosing between excommunication or jail.

SB 5375 is a shocking violation of our nation’s religious freedom protections and an attack on the autonomy of the Church. The U.S. Constitution makes clear that the State of Washington has no business telling the Church how to administer or regulate the Sacrament of Confession, or any sacrament.  

Washington’s refusal to exempt the confessional seal from SB 5375 clearly discriminates against religion—unconstitutionally singling out clergy while other protected privileges, including attorney-client and physician-patient privileges, remain untouched by this law. The Catholic Church’s law on this is clear: The confessional seal is inviolable, and priests cannot reveal what was confessed to them during the sacrament—or else they face an automatic excommunication.  

Archbishop Etienne of Seattle reacted to the law in a statement:  

This weekend at Mass, the first reading was from the Acts of the Apostles. After the apostles were arrested and thrown into jail for preaching the name of Jesus Christ, St. Peter responds to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). This is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.

Bishop Daly of Spokane, in response to SB 5375 becoming law, also reinforced total inviolability of the Seal:  

I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishop and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail. The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.  

Thomas More Society attorneys are exploring legal options to protect the Seal and religious liberty against SB 5375’s unconstitutional overreach.  

TMS AT HEARTBEAT INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Thomas More Society was proud to join hundreds of pro-life advocates and pregnancy center partners from around the nation and world at Heartbeat International’s Annual Pregnancy Help Conference. At the conference, we highlighted our legal work to defend Abortion Pill Reversal around the country, and other pregnancy center-related litigation our legal team is leading.  

Learn more about the legal fight to defend Abortion Pill Reversal, here.  

NEW HHS STUDY EXPOSES GENDER IDEOLOGY’S JUNK “SCIENCE”: On May 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services release a comprehensive report titled, “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices.” The report reviews the evidence and best practices for promoting the health of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. This review, using an evidence-based medicine approach, revealed serious concerns about existing medical interventions, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, that attempt to transition children and adolescents away from their biological sex.  

Here are a few key takeaways from the report:  

1. Gender Experimentation Based on “Very Low Quality” Evidence: The report’s umbrella review of systematic reviews finds that the evidence for psychological benefits, quality of life improvements, or long-term health outcomes from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries is of very low quality. It notes that reported benefits are likely overstated due to methodological flaws, publication bias, and inadequate study designs. For example, the Cass Review, cited extensively, concludes there is “no good evidence on the long-term outcomes” of these interventions.
   

2. Highlights Concrete Risks of Irreversible Harm: The report details specific risks of pediatric medical transition, including infertility/sterility from puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, sexual dysfunction such as impaired sexual function post-intervention, impaired bone density leading to further health complications and injury, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders like hypertension and diabetes, and psychiatric effects including increased anxiety or depression in some cases. Importantly, the report also highlights detransition and regret, with many victims of gender experimentation experiencing profound distress after irreversible procedures.
   

3. Ethical Violations Under Guise of “Gender-Affirming Care”: The report raises significant ethical concerns, noting that adolescents often lack the decision-making competence to consent to irreversible treatments due to their developmental stage. It also criticizes U.S. gender experimentation providers for minimal or omitted mental health assessments, with some, like Boston Children’s Hospital, conducting evaluations in a single two-hour session. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is criticized for suppressing evidence and relaxing safeguards in its Standards of Care under political pressure, including eliminating most age minimums.
   

4. Global Shift Away From Gender Experimentation on Children: The report also documents the international retreat from the so-called “gender-affirming model,” with countries like the UK, Finland, Sweden, and Italy imposing restrictions on puberty blockers and hormones for minors. For instance, the UK banned routine use of puberty blockers following the Cass Review, which highlighted weak evidence and potential harms of gender-related medical interventions for children. Finland and Sweden now prioritize psychosocial interventions over medical treatments.