New York says Catholic sisters will not be required to participate in assisted suicide

A coalition of religious sisters in New York state won a major victory in federal court this week when the state agreed to not force the sisters to participate in New York’s looming assisted suicide regime.

The lawsuit had been brought earlier in July by four communities of religious sisters in the state. U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci on July 30 issued the consent order holding that the government is “barred from requiring that [the sisters]” participate in the assisted suicide process in any way while their lawsuit proceeds.

The suicide law itself is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 5.

The decision was announced by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the sisters in the suit along with Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres.

Mother Mary Rose Heery, OCarm, the prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in the legal group’s press release that families “entrust their loved ones to us” and that the sisters were “grateful that we can continue honoring that trust and remain beside every resident until the very end.”

“[The state’s] decision not to enforce this law against us means that we can continue our loving…