Can a Catholic be present for an assisted suicide? Canadian Catholic speaks with New York clergy facing new pastoral questions

A Catholic anti-euthanasia activist who has spent years fighting Canada’s culture of death recently offered insight on the issue at a gathering for priests and deacons in New York, where a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide recently went into effect.

The state’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Act took effect Aug. 5, allowing a terminally ill adult who has a prognosis of six months or less to request a prescription for drugs to hasten their death, according to the Catholic Courier.

Having criteria, or “safeguards,” for legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia leads to dehumanization, according to Amanda Achtman, a professor of Catholic bioethics with St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Pittsford, New York.

Speaking to those gathered at St. Bernard’s for her Oct. 17 talk, Achtman explained that if there are criteria that people must meet in order to qualify for euthanasia, the criteria itself indicates there is a category of human beings who “could just not exist.” This is why she emphasizes that the issue concerns everyone.

“Being told that you fit a category that qualifies you for suicide assistance rather than suicide prevention, that makes you eligible for state-sponsored suicide … already deflates and defeats a person’s sense of self,” she said.

The concern echoes one raised by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, now archbishop emeritus of New York, when the state was still considering legalizing assisted suicide. In a May 2025 op-ed, he highlighted the cognitive dissonance of a state investing significantly in suicide prevention efforts while simultaneously condoning physician-assisted suicide. Cardinal Dolan and the other bishops in the state had spoken out on multiple occasions against the prospect of legalization and called for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the bill.

>> New York Catholic bishops denounce governor’s decision to legalize physician-assisted suicide << 

In an Oct. 27 X post Achtman thanked Rochester Bishop John Bonnici and the diocese for inviting her to present to clergy about assisted suicide. Achtman is the founder of the cultural initiative “Dying to Meet You,” which spotlights stories of individuals and families countering the pro-euthanasia narrative. 

“The Church is ‘an expert in humanity’ and always has something better to propose than hastening death in the face of life's greatest challenges,” she said in the post. 

https://x.com/AmandaAchtman/status/2115212074812953035 

In the talk, Achtman explained that the top five reasons people choose “MAID” in Canada relate to loss of autonomy, dignity, and being able to participate in self-care or activities, according to the Catholic Courier. She added that many people choose euthanasia out of a fear of being a burden on others, abandonment, or dying alone.

“All of these issues, pastorally, are just beneath the surface,” Achtman told the priests and deacons. 

>> 16,499 people killed by Canada’s euthanasia program in 2024, government report finds <<

Achtman explained that Canadian Catholic bishops have issued guidelines regarding celebrating the sacraments with people and families who are considering, or choosing, MAID, according to the outlet. She explained that the answers about the sacraments can be nuanced, oftentimes requiring knowing the individual and making judgments about their circumstances. 

However, she said the Canadian bishops have clearly stated that Catholics cannot be with an individual when he or she is euthanized, in case their presence could be seen as supporting euthanasia. 

“The consistent approach so far has been, you can be there up until the point of and absolutely not at all during the act, and everything should be given to resist it. … You want to say, ‘I will be with you as long as I can, but I cannot be with you if you go through with this,’” Achtman said. 

Achtman also explained that in Canada, MAID includes the option of self-administering lethal drugs or lethal injection by a physician; in 2024, every one of the 16,499 people who died by euthanasia chose lethal injection. Having to self-administer the drugs is a significant deterrent for choosing it; having a medical practitioner carry it out provides a “mutual outsourcing of responsibility,” she said, in which the doctor simply sees it as fulfilling a patient’s request and the patient sees it as undertaking a legal medical procedure. 

She warned that while New York has not legalized physicians to administer lethal injections, it is not an impossible development down the road. According to the outlet, she gave the hypothetical example of someone with a disability suing the state and arguing that there in unequal treatment for those seeking assisted suicide. 

Since legalizing MAID in 2016, Canada has expanded its criteria for euthanasia eligibility, now allowing for persons with non-terminal illnesses to qualify. In 2024 in Quebec, a law took effect enabling people to make “advance requests” for euthanasia in the event they lose capacity to consent right before it is administered, creating a significant new threat for persons with illnesses such as dementia.  

Ultimately in her talk, Achtman encouraged Catholics to have hope in the face of a culture of dehumanization and fear. She noted a group of Canadian Catholic bishops recently asked the faithful to prioritize palliative care and accompaniment, and she recommended spending time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Who can be particularly consoling for those afraid of being forgotten. 

“You will never become more frail, more dependent, more weak or vulnerable or hidden or unspoken or even ignored than our Lord makes Himself to you in the Blessed Sacrament,” Achtman said, “and this can become a basis for identification and intimacy with Christ.”

>> Elementary students accompany Christ in Eucharistic procession through senior home in Canada <<