Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore called the End-of-Life Options Act a "deeply flawed" piece of legislation, and celebrated its failure in a statement published on the archdiocesan website.
"Physician-assisted suicide violates God's most sacred gift and enables individuals to decide arbitrarily when life is no longer worthwhile or no longer worth living," said the archbishop. He thanked those who worked to defeat the legislation.
"Thank you for standing up for the sanctity of life," said Lori.
In a statement published on their website, the Maryland Catholic Conference thanked everyone who called their representatives to lobby against the bill.
"Because of your calls, emails, and efforts, physician-assisted suicide will not be legalized in Maryland this year," said the site.
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"This wouldn't have been possible without all of your voices and prayers. Thank you for making a difference in the fight against physician-assisted suicide!"
Although Maryland will not be legalizing assisted suicide during this legislative session, lawmakers in several other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, are still considering similar bills. A bill in New Jersey has passed both houses of the state legislature and is awaiting the signature of the governor.
Physician-assisted suicide is currently legal in Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii, Vermont, Colorado, and Washington, DC.
Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.