NY Catholics urged to voice opposition to bill that would legalize assisted suicide

ALBANY, N.Y. (OSV News) -- New York's Catholic bishops are urging the state's Catholics to voice their opposition to proposed legislation that would legalize suicide for those diagnosed with terminal illness.

The legislation, A136/S138, was introduced in both the Senate and the Assembly in January, and lawmakers are expected to vote on the bills as early as the week of April 28, according to the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops in public policy matters. Passage of this legislation would usher the state into "a dangerous new era," the bishops wrote in an April 24 statement.

"At a time when New Yorkers are rightly concerned with issues such as affordability, crime, homelessness, federal cuts to Medicaid, behavioral health access, and their children's education, it is unconscionable that lawmakers would consider now an appropriate time to legalize suicide for a segment of the population," the bishops stated.

The proposed legislation would amend the state's public health law to allow a terminally ill adult with a prognosis of six months or less to request medication that would hasten his or her death, if the patient decided to take it. The legislation also would set forth the responsibilities of health care providers, as well as their protections and immunities.

The legislation states that health care providers and facilities may choose not to participate in the provision of life-ending medication to a patient, yet the very premise of the bill turns "the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians to ‘do no harm' on its head," according to the bishops' statement.

The passage of this legislation would leave vulnerable people -- including people with disabilities, the elderly, and those in impoverished and medically underserved communities -- subject to pressure and coercion to end their lives "so as not to be a burden to society or an excessive cost to insurance companies," the bishops wrote.

Passage of the legislation also would send the message -- perhaps unintentionally -- that suicide is an acceptable solution to a problem, according to the bishops.

"Sadly, we are facing a suicide crisis among young people in our state, and the government rightly spends large sums of money to prevent these tragedies and to deliver a consistent message that life is worth living," the bishops wrote. "Now our state will be telling its citizens that some lives -- perhaps where there has been a loss of autonomy or a disability -- are not worth living."

If passed, this legislation also could put New Yorkers on the precipice of a dangerous slippery slope, according to the bishops, who pointed to similar legislation passed in Canada in 2016.

Within a few years of its passage, the Canadian legislation, initially focused only on those with terminal illnesses, was expanded to allow those with chronic conditions to end their lives as well. In 2027, the law is set to expand again, this time including those "whose only underlying condition is mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or anorexia," the bishops stated.

New York Catholics are encouraged to contact their state legislators and urge them to vote against the proposed legislation.

The "Action Center" section of the New York State Catholic Conference's website contains an editable message that may be emailed to lawmakers, as well as a way for people to look up the email addresses and phone numbers for their specific lawmakers.