New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks joined a federal lawsuit against the state’s suicide regime on October 30, alongside religious sisters and Catholic healthcare providers arguing the law violates their faith. The suit, initiated in July by Catholic objectors, claims the state’s assisted suicide rules force adherents to participate in ending lives, contravening teachings on the sanctity of life. The religious liberty law firm Becket announced Hicks’s involvement, which also represents the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Archdiocese of New York. The lawsuit includes Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, as reported by the sources.
The lawsuit includes the Catholic healthcare ministry ArchCare, which operates Calvary Hospital in the Bronx—a facility described as “the only fully-accredited acute care hospital in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the palliative care of adult patients with life-limiting illnesses.” Plaintiffs argue the state’s law would compel them to counsel patients on assisted suicide, help them qualify for lethal drugs, or direct them to providers, risking fines, license loss, or imprisonment. A federal court temporarily blocked enforcement of the suicide regime against Catholic objectors in July, with the ruling later applying to the Archdiocese of New York after Hicks joined the suit.
Archbishop Joins Legal Challenge
Hicks stated Catholics “are guided by the compassion of Jesus to serve those of every background who are in need of healing” and rejected being “forced to harm the very ones we’ve been called to care for.” The lawsuit mirrors similar actions in Illinois, where Catholic institutions secured federal court protections against assisted suicide laws. Four bishops and dozens of religious sisters have sued New York and Illinois after their states enacted such programs. In Illinois, the Catholic objectors include the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Springfield, according to Source 1.
Catholic Healthcare Providers Oppose Law
ArchCare’s facilities, including Mother Cabrini Hospital, emphasize care for children and individuals with developmental disabilities, according to the lawsuit. Becket, the law firm, argued assisted suicide is “completely incompatible with the compassionate care” offered by Catholic ministries. The suit also includes Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. A federal judge in Illinois previously halted enforcement of the state’s suicide rules against Catholic objectors, a precedent referenced in the New York case. Assisted suicide would force ministries to counsel patients, help them qualify for lethal drugs, and direct them to providers, with penalties including fines, license loss, or imprisonment, according to Source 2. Adèle Keim, senior counsel at Becket, stated: “Assisted suicide is completely incompatible with the compassionate care that the Sisters and ArchCare offer.”
The New York Archdiocese’s legal action follows a ruling in Illinois that temporarily blocked a similar law, reflecting growing resistance to assisted suicide legislation among religious groups.
