Questions raised over Hochul’s understanding of church teaching in assisted suicide legislation
A Catholic family law attorney in New York recently wrote a letter warning against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s, D-NY, bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
"As a practicing Catholic, I am dismayed that Governor Hochul has decided to sign into law the Medical Aid in Dying Act which would legalize assisted suicide in New York," John Virdone, a Long Island divorce and family law attorney, wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
The bill, the Medical Aid in Dying Act, requires a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six months to make a written request for life-ending drugs. Two witnesses would be required to sign the request to ensure the patient is not being coerced, and the request would need to be approved by the patient's attending physician and a consulting physician.
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Virdone referenced a December op-ed Hochul wrote, entitled, "Why I'm supporting medical aid in dying," where she said that she listened to New Yorkers in the "throes of pain and suffering," as well as their children, and also spoke to "individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life."
Hochul, who identifies as Catholic, also wrote, "I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be. This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life."
In his letter, which he said he sent to Hochul on Dec. 30, Virdone expressed concern about Hochul’s understanding of Catholic teaching, which holds that all human life is sacred and must be protected from conception to natural death.
"While she identifies as Catholic, she misunderstands clear Catholic teaching that life in all stages is sacred and that killing or assisting in the killing of a person is never merciful. Suicide and assisted suicide implies that one knows better than God, or that God is dismissive, and that suffering has no redemptive value," Virdone wrote.
"Even with the ‘safeguards’ she claims are in place, there is still great potential for abuses by persons who have interest in the estates and want to hasten their access," Virdone wrote.
The "guardrails" mentioned on Hochul’s website include "A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled," and "A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist."
According to the New York State Senate’s website, the legislation is currently awaiting Hochul’s signature.
"If she does not change her mind, I will not vote for her next November," Virdone wrote. "No, I will vote for Bruce Blakeman for Governor, who opposes assisted suicide, while urging him to protect the defenseless unborn children to preserve the sanctity of all life."
Hochul's office referred Fox News Digital to the transcript of Hochul discussing reaching an agreement with the state legislature to pass the legislation in response to a request for comment.
The transcript reads in part, "The Founding Fathers 250 years ago, envisioned a more limited government focusing on individual rights, and it is that confluence of thought that brought me to where I am today, processing also, the fact that I was raised in a strong, Catholic family. And for many, this is a moral decision, a moral judgment, and there are members of the faith community who will not accept or understand this decision I've made on behalf of not myself, but for 20 million New Yorkers."
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.