Full Breakdown
Catholic Health Providers Sue New York Over Assisted-Dying Law
7/20/2026, 9:11:03 PM
Legal Challenge to the Medical Aid in Dying Act
A coalition of Catholic health entities filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of New York on Friday, seeking to block the state’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) law before it takes effect next month. The complaint names 13 plaintiffs, including the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Catholic Health’s five Long Island hospitals. Plaintiffs argue the law compels doctors and nurses at religious facilities to counsel patients about assisted dying, violating the First Amendment and federal prohibitions on using Medicare and Medicaid funds for MAID.
Background of the State Law
New York’s MAID legislation, passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, includes provisions that allow “religiously-oriented home hospice providers” to opt out of prescribing or administering lethal medication. However, the law still requires such facilities to provide information, mental-fitness assessments, and step-by-step guidance on the qualification process, even when they claim the exemption.
Official Position of New York State
Governor Hochul has emphasized that the law contains “guardrails” to prevent coercion and to ensure that terminally ill New Yorkers retain the choice to die “comfortably and on their own terms.” The administration maintains that the opt-out language permits hospice providers to decline prescribing or administering the drugs, while still obligating them to assist patients in navigating the process.
Opposition from Catholic Providers
Catholic plaintiffs contend the opt-out is “among the narrowest in the nation,” far more restrictive than exemptions in California, Oregon, and Washington. They warn that facilities such as the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, whose assisted-living site is not classified as a health-care facility, would receive no exemption and could be forced to allow lethal prescriptions on their premises. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the MAID Act is unconstitutional and an injunction against its enforcement.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of New York, names 13 plaintiffs, including multiple congregations of nuns such as the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, and the Little Sisters of the Poor.” — Ed Morrissey
- “But according to the sisters’ lawyers, the opt-out is among the narrowest in the nation, narrower than similar laws in California, Oregon, and Washington, where religious providers can opt out of all participation if their faith requires it.” — Ed Morrissey
- “Notice how Hochul uses the weasel word of "offering" as the opt-out.” — Ed Morrissey
- “Get ready for a big legal fight, and eventually a date at the Supreme Court.” — Ed Morrissey
