The law legalizing assisted suicide in the state of New York comes into effect this Wednesday, August 5, although the Catholic institutions that challenged the measure will remain, for the time being, protected by the injunction granted last week by a federal court. The Church thus keeps its legal battle open against legislation it considers incompatible with the inviolable dignity of all human life.
The so-called Medical Aid in Dying Act, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul last February, allows people diagnosed with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less to request a medical prescription to “end their life.” The measure, which establishes certain requirements and controls, has sparked strong opposition from the Catholic Church and various pro-life organizations and groups defending people with disabilities.
The religious sisters remain protected by the courts
Although a federal judge recently dismissed the lawsuit filed by several associations of people with disabilities, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing, the situation is different for Catholic institutions.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre and four religious congregations—the Carmelites for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, and the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict—continue to pursue their challenge against the law. In addition, a federal judge granted them an injunction last week that prevents the State from compelling them to participate in the implementation of the measure while the litigation is resolved.
The religious sisters argue that facilitating, even indirectly, access to assisted suicide would violate their religious freedom and be incompatible with the mission they have carried out for decades in service to the elderly and terminally ill.
“We will never submit to the culture of death”
The Bishop of Rockville Centre, John Barres, reiterated his rejection of the new legislation and stated that the diocese “will never submit to the culture of death.” The prelate described assisted suicide as “a grave moral failure” and recalled that “Christ, the divine physician, calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not to abandon them to death.”
The Catholic Conference of the State of New York had already warned during the legislative process that the law sends a message to the sick, the elderly, and those living with disabilities that their lives are worth less when suffering or dependence increases.
The Church’s response
With the law’s entry into force, New York joins other U.S. states that permit assisted suicide. However, for the Church, the true path in the face of suffering is not to deliberately cause the patient’s death, but to strengthen palliative care, spiritual accompaniment, and comprehensive support for those facing the end of life.
The legal battle initiated by the Diocese of Rockville Centre and several religious congregations will continue in the coming months and could shape the scope of religious freedom protections against assisted suicide laws in the United States.