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It’s now been almost two weeks since New York’s assisted-suicide law went into effect, allowing medical professionals to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to patients who have six months or less to live.
Under the Medical Aid in Dying Act, eligible patients must be at least 18, mentally capable of making their own medical decisions and residents of New York. Their six-month prognosis must also be confirmed by two physicians.
At the heart of the “right to die” debate is the conflict between individual freedom and the value of life itself — or, the way that some religious believers would put it, the sanctity of life.
People of faith, and the Catholic church especially, have been outspoken opponents of these laws. For them, the practice challenges the theological core belief that life is sacred and has inherent value despite — and because of — the suffering of the individual and the care they require.
Who has authority over life and death? What does it mean to care for someone who is suffering? And how can helping someone to die be an act of compassion? These are some of the questions that the supporters and opponents of the law disagree on.
New York, which became the 14th state to legalize medical aid in dying, including Washington, D.C., received significant pushback from Catholic health providers like Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and Little Sisters of the Poor.
“New York has put the Sisters to a stark choice: either abandon their religious beliefs regarding the sanctity of life or face significant fines and penalties,” their lawsuit said.
New York’s MAID law is stricter than in other states. It requires an evaluation by a mental professional to ensure the patient has the mental capacity to make the decision and that only patients themselves, without a proxy, can request and authorize medication to end their life via recorded audio or video.
Last week at an event hosted by the Federalist Society, one bioethicist reframed one of the key questions in a way I hadn’t thought about before.
Alexander Raikin, visiting fellow in bioethics at Ethics and Public Policy Center, argued that there is no such thing as “the right to die,” just as there is no such thing as the right to age.
“Death is not a good, it is not a duty, it is not a constitutional right. Death is instead an antithesis of life,” he said. He also described it as a “purported right to be killed by another.”
The right to die is something that everyone has been given, whether we want it or not. And that’s different from the “right to life,” which is more similar to the freedom of speech and press.
“The right for autonomy presupposes life is inherently sacred, of inherent value,” he said.
Raikin illustrated his point with a story of Jane Allen, a young woman from Colorado who was diagnosed with anorexia. Her clinician suggested the possibility of assisted suicide. Here’s what Allen said, per her testimony that Raikin read during the event:
“ I was told that although I wasn’t yet 30 years old at the time, she (this is the suicide clinician) would make an exception for me and allow me to die if that was my choice. It didn’t feel like my choice. I felt coerced. I’m not sure how to describe it, but something inside me wouldn’t let me take the bait.”
Allen said she began to eat so as not to die right away and went off medications. In 18 months she started feeling better. She got a job and a puppy.
Jeff Singer, senior fellow at Cato Institute, the supporter of MAID on the panel, ultimately understood “the right to life” differently. To him the right to life meant individual autonomy and self-ownership and doing what one wants with their life as long as it doesn’t harm others.
“A free society recognizes individuals as sovereign over their own bodies, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others,” said Singer. “That principle necessarily includes the freedom to end one’s own life.”
Another point of tension revolved around mores and cultural norms. Rejecting MAID would preserve the cultural norm that each life has value, Raikin said, and suicidal thoughts should be met with protection. Singer, however, argued that social mores evolve and should not override individual autonomy.
Views on medical aid in dying vary significantly by religious group, Pew found.
- Among Catholics, 59% said it was either morally acceptable (31%) or not a moral issue (27%); 40% viewed assisted suicide as morally wrong.
- Among white evangelical Protestants, 38% saw it as morally acceptable or not a moral issue, while 60% called it morally wrong.
- Things look slightly different for other Protestants and Jews. Seventy-four percent of white Protestants who are not evangelical and 76% of Jewish Americans said it was either morally acceptable or not a moral issue.
- Black Protestants were more opposed, with 52% calling it morally wrong and 48% saying it was acceptable or not a moral issue.
Fresh off the press
- I took a brief break from religion reporting and wrote a story about a growing obsession with mahjong that’s recently reached Utah.
- The man accused of stabbing a worker at a West Valley City mall because he was Muslim was indicted on a hate crime charge.
- When one Orthodox Jew in Cleveland, Ohio, wanted to gather a group to pray together in his home, the city issued a cease-and-desist notice that he should get a permit for his home to be a “place of religious assembly.”
- Asma Uddin on the The Ten Commandments posters in the classroom.
Faith in the news
The Sisters of Hawthorne, a group of Dominican nuns in New York, are fighting for a religious exemption from the “right to die” to continue their mission. Why the left won’t leave nuns alone. — The Wall Street Journal
Foundations School, a Christian K-12 school in rural North Idaho, was founded by Charli Turner as a “mission field” for children and families struggling with academic, emotional and spiritual challenges. — Religion Unplugged
Jewish families in Palo Alto filed a lawsuit over a school field trip to a mosque. — Palo Alto Daily Post
Americans may be starting to take UFOs seriously. — Time
The Trump administration had announced that it will award $2 billion in humanitarian aid funding to faith-based organizations. — Christianity Today
Notre Dame is getting new stained glass windows, but not everyone is happy about it. — The New York Times
End note
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for fall. I’m looking forward to sending two of my kids back to school tomorrow and bringing some order and routine back into my life. After moving across the country and then bouncing from one place to the next (we’ve stayed in six, maybe seven, different places as we’ve been waiting for our house renovation to be finished). Amid this chaos, I’ve discovered a couple things: one is that I don’t need nearly as many things as I thought I did. In fact, one suitcase of clothes may be just the right amount. I also realized that cooking, and eating, in your own kitchen is really, really nice.
Thank you for reading and being part of the State of Faith community. I love to hear from readers, so feel free to reach out at any time with ideas and comments: mmanzhos@deseret.com.