Catholic religious sisters and Catholic healthcare ministries will not have to comply with New York’s assisted suicide law until their legal challenge can be heard in federal court, a judge ruled on Thursday.
The judge issued a temporary restraining order providing that the plaintiffs will not have to comply with New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act while the court considers their request for a preliminary injunction. The law is due to come into force on August 5.
“Forcing Catholic nuns to participate in suicide — and robbing New Yorkers of the choice to receive faithful, life-affirming care — is both unlawful and unjust. This agreement protects the sisters and those they care for while we fight to end New York’s suicide mandate for good,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and lead counsel in the case, in a press release.
The case, Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v. Letitia James, was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of New York on July 17. Letitia James is New York’s attorney general.
Although the Medical Aid in Dying Act does not require religious healthcare providers to prescribe or administer lethal medication, the plaintiffs argue that the law’s religious exemption does not adequately protect their rights because they could still be required to inform patients about assisted suicide and refer them to providers who would prescribe the medication.
According to the plaintiffs, failure to comply could result in fines, imprisonment and the loss of professional licences.
The plaintiffs include the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St Benedict, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre.
The agreement “is an important first step towards protecting religious freedom”, Bishop Barres said in a press release.
“New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide or abandon the sick and dying when they need care most.
“Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel. We continue to proclaim that every human life is sacred and worthy of love until its natural end.”
“Our home exists so that elderly people can spend their final days surrounded by peace, prayer, and the Sisters who love them,” said Sr Justyna Owsiejko, OSB, of the Missionary Sisters of St Benedict.
She continued: “For now, they can rest assured that assisted suicide will not be forced into the sanctuary they call home.”
