New York Archbishop Joins Lawsuit against Medical-Aid in Dying

Saturday, November 7, 2026

By Sean Cavanaugh

Fri, November 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM

Updated Fri, November 6, 2026 at 11:30 PM

New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act is facing another court challenge, this time from Catholic nuns, Catholic health care ministries and the Archdiocese of New York, which say the law would force them to act against their religious beliefs.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, the Archdiocese of New York and the Catholic health care ministry Arch Care  have joined a lawsuit brought by four orders of Catholic nuns and other Catholic health care ministries challenging the state’s assisted-suicide law. The law was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and went into effect Aug. 5.

The case is Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v. James. Becket, a religious liberty law firm, is asking a federal court to protect Catholic health care providers from what it describes as a new law that would require them to help terminally ill patients “kill themselves in violation of their faith.”

Ben Fleshman, counsel at Becket, said the law “would violate their beliefs to participate in the provision of assisted suicide in any way.” He said the ministries have “deeply held beliefs that human life is sacred and that God gave us life, and then we should treasure it.”

Kathy Hochul Begs Millionaires to Ask Their Friends Who Fled NY to Return So She Can Tax Them

New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivered a stark admission this week: the state’s tax base is eroding
as high-net-worth residents continue to depart for lower-tax destinations, leaving behind a funding gap for the expansive social programs that define the Empire State’s approach to governance.

Speaking at Politico’s New York Agenda: Albany Summit, Hochul openly pleaded for wealthy individuals—many now residing in places like Florida and Texas—to return or persuade their peers to do so, acknowledging that these taxpayers are essential to sustaining the generous welfare framework New York has built.

The governor’s remarks came amid mounting pressure from progressive voices, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has pushed for significant tax increases on the rich to address budget shortfalls. Hochul resisted those calls, arguing instead for retention rather than coercion.

She praised a handful of “patriotic millionaires” who have voluntarily contributed, but emphasized the need for broader participation.

From Hijra to City Hall: Islam, Migration, and the Rise of Mamdani

By Raymond Ibrahim, Feb 20, 2026 

Twenty-five years after Muslim terrorists killed 2,800 people in New York City on September 11, 2001, a self-identified Muslim has, for the first time in that city’s history, become mayor.

What is the significance of this, and what does it really tell us?

On January 1, 2026, Zohran Mamdani — 35 years old, born in Uganda to Indian parents, Shia Muslim, former housing counselor and rapper (“Young Cardamom”), self-described democratic socialist — was sworn in as mayor of New York City. He has been described by many, including the President of the United States, as a “100% Communist Lunatic.”

Others accuse him of being a closet Muslim radical working to subvert New York to Islam. Their concerns are not unwarranted (not least since Shia Islam is notorious for internalizing taqiyya, a doctrine that promotes dissembling).

Culture of Death Advances With Euthanasia Legalization in Illinois and New York, See also Dutch Law

David Closson 

Within a single week, the governors of Illinois and New York both announced their support for physician-assisted suicide legislation.  

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat [pictured above], signed a bill legalizing the practice Dec. 12. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced Dec. 17 that she has reached an agreement with the state legislature and will sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act in January 2026. 

With these developments, Illinois and New York join 11 other states and Washington, D.C., that have already authorized physician-assisted suicide [and euthanasia].

Hochul explained her decision in a personal essay published shortly before her Wednesday press conference. She noted that bodily autonomy ultimately shaped her thinking about the bill: “I have come to this as a matter of individual choice that does not have to be about shortening life but rather about shortening death,”

Hochul’s Deal Limits Access to Patients with Less than Six Months to Live

By Katelyn Cordero, 12/18/2025 

ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s tortured decision to sign legislation that will allow some terminally ill New Yorkers to obtain life-ending medications caps a contentious, decade-long debate over the issue.

But the governor’s move was blasted by the Catholic Church and even sparked blowback from aid-in-dying advocates due to additional restrictions Hochul insisted on adding to the law.

The final deal, which limits access to patients with less than six months to live, includes some controversial safeguards that advocates fought and say will make it the most restrictive such measure in the country. Thirteen states now allow doctors to prescribe life-ending medications for terminally ill patients, with Illinois enacting such legislation last week.

The Catholic governor said she wrestled with the decision for weeks, but ultimately spoke with advocates — some of whom were terminally ill — whose personal stories swayed her to sign the measure.

NY Governor Kathy Hochul Seeks Changes to ‘Nightmare’ Assisted Suicide Bill

https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/ny-governor-kathy-hochul-seeks-changes-to-nightmare-assisted-suicide-bill/

New York Governor Kathy Hochul [pictured right] is requesting substantial changes to a “nightmare” bill that would turn New York into a destination state for physician-assisted suicide.

The New York Assembly approved the Medical Aid in Dying Act (AB 136) on April 29 in a 81-67 vote. The state Senate subsequently passed the bill on June 9 in a 35-27 vote.

The bill permits individuals with “an incurable and irreversible illness, with six months or less to live,” to kill themselves with a doctor’s help via a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Importantly, the bill currently contains no residency requirement, allowing terminally ill individuals from out of state to come to New York to end their lives. This provision would essentially ensure all Americans could access physician-assisted suicide.

Diane Coleman Inducted Into New York State Disability Rights Hall of Fame, Class of 2025

Sunday, December 7, 2025

In collaboration with the 2025 New York Association on Independent Living’s (NYAIL) statewide conference, the New York State Independent Living Council (NYSILC) held its sixth New York State Disability Rights Hall of Fame awards ceremony and dinner, and Not Dead Yet’s Founder and CEO, Diane Coleman, [pictured right] was the first of the night to be honored with a posthumous award “For lifelong achievements which positively impact people with disabilities in society.”

For those who couldn’t attend the awards ceremony and dinner, the Patients Rights Action Fund’s (PRAF) Executive Director, Matt Vallière, and NDY’s Executive Director, Ian McIntosh, accepted the award on behalf of Diane Coleman who passed away suddenly, last November 1, 2024.