(LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted a preliminary injunction Friday against the enforcement of a California law requiring medical practitioners to participate in physician-assisted suicides against their will.
California legalized assisted suicide in 2015 with the End of Life Option Act, under which physicians were able to opt out of participation, and could not be punished for “refusing to inform” a patient about his “right” to assisted suicide or for refusing make a referral to a more willing physician.
However, in October 2021, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 380, which states that “participating” in assisted suicide remains “voluntary” but requires refusing physicians to refer patients to someone else and defines “participation” so narrowly as to effectively compel participation in the practice, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed a lawsuit against the law on behalf of the 16,000-member Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) and Dr. Leslee Cochrane.
“Over 90% of CMDA members would rather stop practicing medicine than be forced to participate in assisted suicide or other practices in violation of their consciences,” ADF argued. The law “forces religiously objecting California physicians, including CMDA members and Dr. Cochrane, to choose between abandoning their livelihoods or obeying government commands that violate their religious conscience and compel them to speak and act in ways that contravene their religious faith.”
On September 6, ADF announced that the court granted its request for a preliminary injunction, agreeing that the plaintiffs demonstrated “they are likely to suffer a violation of a constitutional right absent an injunction […] The ultimate outcome of this requirement is that non-participating providers are compelled to participate in the Act through [even its] documentation requirement, despite their objections to assisted suicide.”
“Our clients seek to live out their faith in their medical practice, and that includes valuing every human life entrusted to their care. Participating in physician-assisted suicide very clearly would violate their consciences,” said ADF senior counsel Kevin Theriot, who argued the case in court. “We’re pleased the court followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in NIFLA v. Becerra that clarified First Amendment protections extend to religious medical professionals.”
While the ruling represents a victory for religious freedom and medical ethics, the issue is far from settled. The Biden administration has proposed rescinding federal regulations that provide conscience protections for professionals who do not want to engage in “abortion, sterilization, and certain other health services,” “assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing,” and for “managed care organizations with moral or religious objections to counseling or referral for certain services.”
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States is 1-800-273-8255.