Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Office of the Bishop

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

I am reaching out to ask for your help on an issue of great importance to our faith. I am asking each of you to call your state senator and urge them to vote NO on the Medical Aid in Dying Act. It may come up for a vote in the state senate this week. It passed a vote in the state assembly last week. This is the first time the bill has made it to the floor of either chamber since its inception in 2016.

Please ask the people you serve to do the same. I realize I am sending this on Tuesday. Please use whatever communication means you can to reach out to others.

If you have never reached out to a state senator before, the New York State Catholic Conference has created an easy step by step process. Simply visit this website: nyscatholic.org/action-center then click the "Say NO to Legalized Suicide - Contact Your NYS Senator Today" box. An easy-to-use form is available for sending a written message, and a script is provided if you are willing to call.

As I wrote in my weekly column in The Evangelist, our faith teaches that compassion endures. It does not kill: https://evangelist.org/news/2025/may/0I/compassion-endures-it-does-not-kill/. Please understand that your voice matters.

Thank you in advance for any attention you can give to this matter.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger