A recent federal court ruling has temporarily protected four orders of Catholic nuns from complying with New York’s assisted suicide law, which went into effect on August 6. The nuns, who care for elderly patients, argue that the law forces them to act against their Catholic faith.

Protecting Freedom

According to Becket senior counsel Adèle Keim, the case is about whether the government can force religious ministries to act against their beliefs. Keim stated, ‘If you care about freedom, you should care about this case, because if the government can force its way into a home that’s been owned and operated by a group of Catholic nuns for 150 years and order the nuns around and tell them what they can do, there’s nothing that that government’s not going to try to force its way into.’

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that 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 accommodate assisted suicide in their facilities. The nuns are seeking to protect their ability to care for patients according to their Catholic faith.

Background

New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act allows adults 18 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. The law has been met with opposition from religious groups, who argue that it violates their right to freedom of religion.

The case will now proceed to the next stage, with the court considering arguments from both sides. Keim hopes that the court will rule in favor of the nuns, stating, ‘We’re asking New York to take a beat, to consider what they’re doing… They say this law is about increasing choice, but if you’re forcing Catholic nuns to offer assisted suicide to their residents, you’re not increasing choice for anybody. You’re shutting choice down.’

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.