Catholic nuns sue New York, say assisted suicide law forces them to violate their faith

Catholic nuns and faith-based healthcare providers who have spent generations caring for New York's dying are suing the state, arguing its new assisted suicide law will force them to violate their religious beliefs by participating in a practice they consider morally wrong.The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court by over 10 Catholic plaintiffs, including the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and Catholic Health, argues New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act compels religious healthcare providers to counsel terminally ill patients about physician-assisted suicide, make referrals to participating providers and, in some cases, accommodate assisted suicide in their facilities.The plaintiffs say those requirements violate the First Amendment, federal healthcare protections and longstanding Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life.REP CLAUDIA TENNEY: WHY IS NEW YORK PUNISHING NUNS WHO CARE FOR THE DYING?The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm serving a patient.(The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty)"New York has put the Sisters to a stark choice: either abandon their religious beliefs regarding the sanctity of life or face significant fines and penalties," the lawsuit reads.

"Through its euphemistically-named Medical Aid in Dying Act, which builds upon requirements in the Palliative Care Information Act, New York has conscripted even religious healthcare providers and institutions to participate in the provision of physician-assisted suicide."New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, which was signed into law in February, lets those who are 18 years and older who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given six months or less to live to request and self-administer life-ending medication if they are experiencing immense suffering, according to Compassion and Choices, who supports the new law.The group notes the measure is based on Oregon's long-st...