New York Sisters obtain temporary order protecting them from participating in assisted suicide

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I have good news. 

The Beckett Fund reported that a temporary order was obtained preventing the state of New York from forcing Catholic Sisters and Catholic healthcare from participating in the assisted suicide law while the federal lawsuit by Catholic healthcare proceeds in the court. 

The New York assisted suicide law will come into effect on August 5

Article: Catholic sisters challenge New York state assisted suicide law (Link).

The lawsuit was filed on July 16 to overturn the New York assisted suicide law based on the language in the law that, among other things, requires Catholic healthcare to inform patients that they can have assisted suicide, requires them to refer patients who request assisted suicide and the law conflicts with the federal law that prohibits federal funding for assisted suicide.

The temporary order was agreed to by US District Court Judge Anne M. Nardacci enabling Catholic healthcare to not participate in assisted suicide until a court decision is made in the full case. The order states that Catholic healthcare is temporarily protected from:

• providing information and counseling about assisted suicide,
• establishing policies and procedures about how counseling for assisted suicide will be done,
• arranging for other physicians or nurse practitioners who will provide information about counseling about assisted suicide or refering patients to other physicians or nurse practitioners who are willing to assist suicide,
• documenting requests for assisted suicide,
• assessing, evaluating or otherwise assisting patients in being qualified for assisted suicide,
• permiting assisted suicide or refering for assisted suicide.

The Judge assigned a time-line for the State of New York if they decide to appeal the emergency motion.

This is a temporary order until the court hears the full case. EPC believes that the court needs to recognize the conscience rights of care-givers and strike down the New York assisted suicide law based on federal assisted suicide funding restrictions.

For those who believe that assisted suicide is a choice, then they should also acknowledge the choice of others to not participate in assisted suicide. Participation is wider than the actual act of prescribing or directly assisting the suicide.

Further to that, assisted suicide is not about "autonomy" since it requires the direct involvement of medical professionals who are complicit with a person's suicide.

Medical professionals should never be involved with killing or assisting suicides since it changes the nature of care. For ethical healthcare to survive, there must be a commitment to always care and never kill.

More articles on this topic:

• Catholic sisters challenge New York state assisted suicide law (Link).
• New York is opening a pandora's box with assisted suicide (Link).
• New York Governor to sign assisted suicide bill (Link).