The New York State Catholic Conference is condemning the passage of a bill legalizing assisted suicide in the state and is calling upon Governor Kathy Hochul to veto the bill that is now heading to her desk.
The New York state Senate passed Bill S138, which authorizes state-sanctioned suicide, by a 35-27 vote. If signed by the Governor, it would make New York the 12th state to allow the practice, joining California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
“This is a dark day for New York State,” said Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, on the passage of the bill on Monday. “For the first time in its history, New York is on the verge of authorizing doctors to help their patients commit suicide. Make no mistake – this is only the beginning, and the only person standing between New York and the assisted suicide nightmare unfolding in Canada is Governor Hochul.”
The bill, S138, allows persons with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live, to request drugs to help end his or her life. The request would need to be approved by two physicians and two witnesses would need to sign a statement verifying that the patient was not being coerced in any way.
Even though these guidelines seem sufficient to protect the vulnerable from potential abuse, history has shown them to be ineffective in waylaying misuse in other jurisdictions that have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide.
As the National Council on Disability states in this report, these guidelines have been ineffective in protecting patients. Abuses have occurred in a variety of ways, including:
■ Insurers have denied expensive, life- sustaining medical treatment but offered to subsidize lethal drugs, potentially leading patients toward hastening their own deaths.
■ Misdiagnoses of terminal disease can also cause frightened patients to hasten their deaths.
■ People with the disability of depression are subject to harm where assisted suicide is legal.
■ Demoralization in people with disabilities is often based on internalized oppression, such as being conditioned to regard help as undignified and burdensome, or to regard disability as an inherent impediment to quality of life. Demoralization can also result from the lack of options that people depend on. These problems can lead patients toward hastening their deaths—and doctors who conflate disability with terminal illness or poor quality of life are ready to help them. Moreover, most health professionals lack training and experience in working with people with disabilities, so they don’t know how to recognize and intervene in this type of demoralization.
■ Financial and emotional pressures can distort patient choice.
■ Assisted suicide laws apply the lowest culpability standard possible to doctors, medical staff, and all other involved parties, that of a good-faith belief that the law is being followed, which creates the potential for abuse.
In addition, as National Right to Life points out, in all of the jurisdictions where assisted suicide is currently legal, steps were later taken to remove these safeguards and restrictions in the name of making assisted suicide more “accessible.”
The New York bishops are hoping that Governor Hochul's past actions to address the suicide crisis in their state, and to making access to mental health care a hallmark of her tenure as Governor, will enable her to see how this bill undermines those priorities.
“The legislation passed in the Senate and Assembly contains no requirement for a psychological screening for depression or other mental illness, and not even so much as a brief waiting period for people who might be in despair following a terminal diagnosis,” the bishops state.
“This bill would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations who will be at the mercy of a healthcare industry that will soon be reeling from federal Medicaid cuts.”
They also warn about valid concerns from the disabilities community about the threat of being coerced toward assisted suicide due to the loss of independence or bodily function.
“We reject the false notion that suicide is ever a solution. Instead, we call on New York State to expand palliative and hospice care, mental health services, and family caregiver support. We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor on these priorities following her veto of this disastrous bill.”
The Governor has promised to “review” this bill when it arrives on her desk. Let us pray that she does the right thing and vetoes this grave violation of the right to life!
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