Our Governor has provided a list of so-called Guardrails that she says are going to protect New Yorkers. Her public relations office tells us these will, “ensure that no patient was coerced into choosing medical aid in dying and that no health care professional or religiously affiliated health facility would be forced to offer medical aid in dying.”
Here is the list:
- A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
- An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
- A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
- A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
- Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
- Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
- Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
- Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
- Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.
A few things to note here:
- What is the definition of “home hospice providers”? Is this referring to Hospice programs or individuals working for Hospice?
- What is the definition of “religiously-oriented”? What sort of proof will be required and who will be adjudicating this?
- How long will it be before these so-called guardrails start to be chipped away? This has happened in essentially every jurisdiction where PAS/MAiD has been legalized. Whether this occurs though legislative action, court decisions, or just lax enforcement of the law, it seems unlikely that this chipping away will not happen here in NY.
Although PAS/MAiD is now the law of the land in NY, please know that the Finger Lakes Guild is committed to supporting our community in the face of this moral atrocity.
The Finger Lakes Guild of the Catholic Medical Association is comprised of a dedicated group of Catholic physicians and healthcare professionals committed to upholding the dignity of every human life. In response to the legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide in New York State, we publicly affirm that under no circumstances will we participate in or support this practice. Guided by our Catholic faith and traditional, time-tested, medical ethics, we remain steadfast in providing compassionate, life-affirming care, respecting the inherent dignity of every patient entrusted to us.
We invite individuals, healthcare providers, faith communities, and organizations to partner with/contact us as we work to address the profound ethical and practical challenges posed by Governor Hochul’s decision to sign physician-assisted suicide into law. Together, we can ensure ongoing support, education, and compassionate alternatives that protect vulnerable patients and uphold the true purpose of medicine: healing and hope.
St. Luke, Pray for Us!
