Overview
- The consent order, approved by U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci on July 31, prevents New York from enforcing defined obligations of the Medical Aid in Dying Act and the Palliative Care Information Act against the named Catholic orders and health ministries while the lawsuit proceeds.
- The TRO lists specific barred actions including requiring plaintiffs to provide counseling or information about aid in dying, to refer or transfer patients for that purpose, to evaluate or assist patients to qualify, to permit prescribing or self-administration on their premises, or to punish staff for complying with the order.
- The protection is narrow: it covers only the named plaintiffs and their staff and does not stop New York from enforcing the statutes against other providers or from issuing MAID implementation policies and regulations.
- The plaintiffs — several orders of nuns, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and Catholic Health System affiliates represented by the Becket Fund — say the laws would force them to participate in practices that violate their religious beliefs and expose them to fines, licensing action, or criminal risk.
- The court set a briefing schedule to continue the emergency litigation with filings due Aug. 20, Sept. 8, and Sept. 15, and the TRO keeps patient care at the named facilities governed by their faith-based policies until the constitutional claims are resolved.