A U.S. Supreme Court decision that changes a basic understanding of biology caused concern for the Catholic Medical Association.

The ruling applied a racial discrimination decision from 1964 and applied it to gender, changing a person's sex to mean gender identity or perceived sexual orientation. The ruling ignores science and biology, the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) said on its website and makes it illegal to dismiss workers on their claim of gender or sexual orientation.

“While the CMA believes employees should be judged on their ability to perform the duties being asked of them, the Supreme Court decision redefines a fundamental understanding of biology, which has countless implications for the ethical practice of medicine,” Dr. Michael Parker, CMA president, said on the CMA website.

“SCOTUS has redefined sex as being the same as sexual orientation and gender identity,” CMA’s Dr. Michelle Cretella said on the site. “This is a lie and a dangerous one at that because doctors will increasingly be sued and forced to harm patients by cooperating with their mental illness.”

The CMA members were as worried about the message the ruling sends to society as they were with the legal implications they would face. Redefining sex in this way is fundamentally flawed and this will cause more confusion about the definitions of marriage and family, “undermining the very foundation of civil society,” Dr. Steven White, chair of CMA’s Health Policy Committee, said on the website.

CMA members said the new definition violates the rights of religious freedom and conscience. Health care workers have to treat patients based on genetic makeup and not on gender identity, which makes these rights critical for them, the CMA said.

Science meets its end on this definition under the court ruling, trampling on First Amendment rights of free speech and religious freedom, the CMA said.