Nuns Can Practice without Using Medical Aid in Dying Act for Now
A federal judge said the state will not enforce the law against the Catholic plaintiffs while they challenge requirements to provide aid-in-dying information.
- District Judge Anne Nardacci signed an order where the state agreed to a narrow temporary restraining order on the "Medical Aid" act, shielding specific Catholic plaintiffs from mandated information disclosure.
- Catholic groups, including the Diocese of Rockville Centre and the Carmelite Sisters, filed the lawsuit asserting that providing Palliative Care Information Act options forces them to participate in physician-assisted suicide.
- The "Medical Aid" act, set to go into effect Wednesday, allows mentally capable adults with six months or less to live to request life-ending medication to "hasten" the end of their lives.
- Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre said, "This agreement is an important first step toward protecting religious freedom," noting ministries remain free to serve patients according to the Gospel.
- The order applies only to the specific plaintiffs, not all healthcare professionals. Separately, state law includes opt-out provisions allowing Religious facilities to prohibit the act and restrict employees from involvement.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Nuns strong-armed into aiding assisted suicide? Just another battle in New York's war on religious freedom
New York has long styled itself as a national champion of tolerance and individual freedom. Yet when it comes to one of the oldest civil liberties in American life — the freedom to live according to one's conscience — the Empire State is moving in the opposite direction.The 2026 Religious Liberty in the States index, a data-driven investigation published by the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, measures how hard state governments work to…
New York nuns will not be forced to comply with assisted-suicide law while case progresses
Catholic nuns sued New York over a law forcing them to recommend assisted suicide to terminally ill patients, and a federal judge blocked them having to comply while the case is pending.
Nuns can practice without using Medical Aid in Dying Act for now
A federal judge has ordered the state not to enforce its assisted-suicide mandate against four orders of Catholic nuns and several Catholic healthcare ministries while their federal lawsuit proceeds. Read more from WBEN:
The Tablet
Court Shields Women Religious From New York Assisted Suicide Law
An undated photo shows a Carmelite sister coming a resident’s hair at Ozanam Hall in Bayside the New York borough of Queens. On July 30, 2026, a judge temporarily shielded four orders of women religious and Catholic healthcare ministries from enforcement of a New York state law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide. (Photo: OSV News/courtesy Becket) by Kate Scanlon (OSV News) – A federal judge July 30 temporarily s…
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