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New York passes assisted dying law
An undated photo shows a resident touching the cheek of a Carmelite sister at Ozanam Hall in Bayside, Queens, N.Y. Four orders of women religious and Catholic healthcare ministries filed suit in federal court in Albany July 17, 2026, arguing that New York's new assisted dying law would force them to choose between their faith and their ability to provide care for the sick, the elderly, and the dying.
OSV News photo/courtesy Becket
July 21, 2026
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Four orders of women religious and Catholic health-care ministries sued the state of New York July 17 over a new law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.
In a lawsuit filed by Becket, a religious liberty law firm, 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 argued the law would require them to facilitate such deaths in violation of their faith.
Mother Mary Rose Heery, prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in a July 20 statement, “We strive to bring (Christ’s) compassion to those entrusted to our care, ensuring that no resident ever has to die alone. This law strikes at the heart of that vocation.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as “morally unacceptable” and a violation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law in February, arguing she had “secured” guardrails during the legislative process that ensured the “integrity of patient decision and preparedness of medical institutions.”
The state’s Catholic bishops were among those who objected to the law.
Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and the lead attorney for the health-care ministries, said in a July 20 statement, “New York is forcing sick and dying people to consider suicide at their lowest moment, regardless of whether they ask for it or not.”
“Worse, it’s conscripting the nuns who care for them into its suicide cult on pain of crushing fines and professional ruin,” Rienzi said.
“That is both unconscionable and unconstitutional. We’re confident the federal courts will put a stop to it.”
Becket and Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre, New York, said the religious ministries plan to seek a preliminary injunction against the law in the coming days.
New York is one of 13 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, that have legalized assisted suicide.
(Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington.)
A version of this story appeared in the July 26, 2026, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Nuns fight law to force assisting in patient suicide".
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OSV News photo/Dawoud Abu Alkas, Reuters
