– OSV News / Kate Scanlon
On July 30, a federal judge temporarily granted an injunction protecting four religious orders and Catholic health care ministries from the enforcement of a New York state law that allows doctors to assist terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.
Catholic organizations—the Carmelite Sisters for the Elderly and the Sick, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor— They sued the state on July 17, arguing that the law would require them to facilitate such deaths for their patients, in violation of their faith.
“Families entrust their loved ones to us because they know that our homes will be places of tenderness, dignity, and faithful care,” said Mother Mary Rose Heery, prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Elderly and the Sick, in a July 31 statement. “We are grateful to be able to continue honoring that trust and to remain by each resident’s side until the very end.”.
Deadline for the New York Attorney General to Respond
The temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Anne M. Naracci also sets August 20 as the deadline for New York Attorney General Letitia James to respond to the emergency motion.
James's office did not immediately respond to OSV News's request for comment.
Supporters of physician-assisted suicide argue that this practice protects the autonomy of people who are suffering or have terminal illnesses in their final days, but opponents contend that the practice disregards the dignity of human life and leaves the sick or dying vulnerable to coercion, among other concerns.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as “morally unacceptable” and as a violation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”.
Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat from New York and a Catholic, signed the Medical Assistance in Dying Act in February, arguing that she had “ensured” safeguards during the legislative process that guaranteed the “integrity of the patient’s decision and the preparedness of medical institutions.” The state’s Catholic bishops were among those who opposed the law, which allows New Yorkers with terminal illnesses and less than six months to live to request physician-assisted suicide.
“Forcing nuns to participate in a suicide is illegal and unjust”
“Forcing Catholic nuns to participate in a suicide—and depriving New Yorkers of the option to receive faith-based, life-affirming care—is both illegal and unjust,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket, a law firm specializing in religious freedom and the lead counsel for the health care ministries, in a July 31 statement.
“This agreement protects the sisters and their caregivers as we fight to end New York’s suicide mandate once and for all,” she said.
Bishop John O. Barres of Rockville Centre, New York, said in a statement released through Becket: “This agreement is an important first step toward protecting religious freedom.”.
“New York cannot force the Church to respond to suffering with suicide or to abandon the sick and dying when they need care the most,” he said. “Until our legal battle is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient in accordance with the Gospel. We continue to proclaim that every human life is sacred and worthy of love until its natural end.”.
“Misguided” public health legislation”
Also on July 31, the New York State Catholic Conference submitted a public comment to the state Department of Health, describing the Medical Assistance in Dying Act as “the most significant—and misguided—public health legislation in many years.”.
They argued that the regulations proposed by the state to implement the law fail to “provide adequate oversight of the practice of medical assistance in dying (MAID)” and fail to “address the shortcomings in the conscience protection provisions of the MAID Act.”.
The lawsuit filed by Catholic organizations against the assisted suicide law is one of several lawsuits filed by Catholic nuns against recent laws passed by the State of New York.
Earlier this year, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate a 42-bed palliative care program for the poor who are dying, challenged a law that imposed requirements regarding gender identity accommodations for nursing home residents.
New York is one of 13 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that have legalized assisted suicide. The state law is scheduled to take effect on August 5.
This article was first published on OSV News. We are reprinting it on Omnes with permission. You can read the original article in English. HERE.
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