ALBANY, New York (LifeSiteNews) — The archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has blasted the state’s attempt to legalize assisted suicide.
In a June 17 podcast interview, Cardinal Dolan denounced New York legislators for pushing through the “Medical Aid in Dying Act,” which would allow patients given a prognosis of six months or fewer to live to be prescribed euthanasia drugs, upon affirmation by two doctors that they have “decision-making capacity.”
“This is the cheapening of human life,” Dolan declared.
Dolan warned of the effects of the proposed legislation, especially on the young, saying, “Think of this, you got an 18-year-old teenager who wants to commit suicide and so calls the doctors and says, ‘I’m depressed so I’m going to take my own life, or you kill me.’”
“[The doctor] says, ‘Oh well you call back tomorrow. We’ll give you 24 hours, and we’ll do it,’” Dolan continued, stressing the “trauma” to family and friends which results from a young person taking their own life.
Dolan also discussed the redemptive suffering endured by the elderly in long-term care. He revealed that while his mother suffered for a long time in the hospital, she valued her life and would not have ended it prematurely.
“God’s ways are not our ways,” he explained, noting that sometimes suffering can seem pointless but God always has a greater plan.
As of June 10, the New York legislature has given final approval to the assisted suicide bill, requiring only far-left Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature to become law.
Dolan expressed hope that Hochul, a self-proclaimed Catholic, would veto the law, given her “sensitivity with mental illness.”
READ: UK Parliament votes for assisted dying
Recently, several prominent Americans have voiced opposition to the legislation, including Patients Rights Action Fund (PRAF) executive director Matt Vallière, Live Action’s Bridget Sielicki, and Bishop Joseph Strickland.
“True compassion does not eliminate suffering by eliminating the one who suffers,” Strickland reminded New York lawmakers. “Rather, it means walking with the sick and dying and offering authentic palliative care, emotional support, and spiritual accompaniment. It is in these moments – when we are most vulnerable – that we must be reminded that our worth is not measured by our health, our productivity, or our independence, but by the fact that we are beloved children of God who are made in His image and likeness.”
On Friday, June 20, British Parliament passed new legislation to allow residents of England and Wales who are aged 18 and over deemed “terminally ill” and “expected” to die within six months to end their lives prematurely with the involvement of physicians.
The dangerous effects of a euthanasia culture are visible in Canada, where patients are waitlisted for health care but have ready access to euthanasia.
The most recent reports show that MAiD is the sixth-highest cause of death in Canada. However, it was not listed as such in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022.
When asked why MAiD was left off the list, the agency said it records the illnesses that led Canadians to choose to end their lives as the primary cause of death.
According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injections. This accounts for 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, a 31.2 percent increase from 2021.
