On July 30, a federal court ordered NY State not to enforce its assisted suicide mandate against Catholic sisters until their lawsuit is heard.<br>
As we reported today, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and four orders of sisters engaged in healthcare faced an order to cooperate with New York State's assisted suicide law, scheduled to go into effect on August 5. Against their Catholic beliefs and their long history of providing compassionate care for the elderly poor and the dying, the communities -- the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor -- would be required by New York's Medical Assistance in Dying Law (MAiD) to offer all patients the option of assisted suicide, and if the option is chosen, to go through all the stages of preparing for such a death save administering the lethal drugs.
On July 17, the diocese and the four communities of sisters, represented by the Becket law firm, filed a lawsuit seeking exemption from this policy on religious grounds. There has as yet been no response from the State of New York to the lawsuit.
A stay for now
However, yesterday a federal judge issued an order to the State not to enforce its mandate against the plaintiffs until their lawsuit is heard. The State agreed to the judge's order.
Sister Justyna Owsiejko, O.S.B., of the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, offered this response to the news of the stay:
"Our home exists so that elderly people can spend their final days surrounded by peace, prayer, and the Sisters who love them. For now, they can rest assured that assisted suicide will not be forced into the sanctuary they call home."
Mark Rienzi, president of the Becket religious liberty law firm and lead attorney on the lawsuit, had this to say:
"Forcing Catholic nuns to participate in assisted 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."
No date for a hearing on the July 17 lawsuit, Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v. James, has yet been set.
