‘Institutionalization should be a last resort’: Catholic organizations rue DOJ guidance on disability decision
October 20, 2026
The chairmen of two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by leaders of four other Catholic organizations, called on Congress to “do everything in its power to protect persons living with disabilities—including reaffirming that the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] requires states and local governments to provide services to persons with disabilities in their communities when appropriate.”
The signatories of the October 14 letter to members of Congress expressed grave concern about recent U.S. Department of Justice guidance on the interpretation of Olmstead v. L.C., a 1999 Supreme Court decision on persons with mental disabilities. Advocacy organizations for the disabled—such as The Arc and Disability Law United—have also strongly criticized the guidance.
“Institutionalization should be a last resort because it deprives persons of these rights and opportunities while also stripping communities of the presence and participation of such persons,” said Archbishop Shelton Fabre and Bishop Edward Burns, joined by representatives of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, Catholic Charities USA, and the Jesuit Conference of Canada & the United States. Archbishop Fabre of Louisville chairs the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice & Human Development; Bishop Burns of Dallas chairs the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth.
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