New York agrees: Nuns may continue ministry without being forced to assist suicides
August 04, 2026
» Continue to this story on The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
CWN Editor's Note: The State of New York temporarily agreed not to enforce its assisted-suicide mandates against the Catholic plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state’s Medical Aid in Dying Act.
“This agreement is an important first step towards protecting religious freedom,” said Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre. “New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide or abandon the sick and dying when they need care most.”
“Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel,” Bishop Barres added. “We continue to proclaim that every human life is sacred and worthy of love until its natural end.”
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and Little Sisters of the Poor joined in the lawsuit, as did the Catholic Health System of Long Island.
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