A prominent New York pastor is sounding the alarm after the State Assembly passed a controversial bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults.
Pastor Victor Tiburcio, leader of the Breath of Life ministry in Queens, called the measure “a sign of total decline” and warned it reflects a deeper spiritual crisis gripping the nation.
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“I think that this law that has just been approved by the legislators of the state of New York is simply one more reflection of the decadence of this nation, of this society, which is a sign that this empire is in total decline,” Tiburcio said in a statement to Christian Post Español.
The bill, which permits adults diagnosed with less than six months to live to request lethal drugs from a physician, still awaits the signature of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. While proponents argue the legislation is an act of compassion and patient autonomy, faith leaders like Tiburcio see it as a direct affront to divine authority and the sanctity of life.
/**/“We also know that God is the only one who has the right to give life and to take life, because He is God, and that is why He is God,” Tiburcio said.
Calling the law “a form of voluntary suicide,” the pastor expressed concern that it would expedite death for people who might otherwise recover with time and spiritual support. “It is also a way to accelerate the death of many people who, if they knew how to wait on God, could even have the opportunity to recover and even heal,” he said.
Instead of endorsing death as a solution to suffering, Tiburcio is urging the Church to rise and offer hope to the dying. “The accompaniment of these people with the Gospel plays a fundamental role,” he said, citing more than 40 years of ministry in which he witnessed people recover their health and faith through the care and prayers of believers.
“Today, more than ever, we are called to go out, to go to hospitals, to visit the sick, as the Lord says there in Matthew 25,” Tiburcio said.
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The pastor continued with a plea for God’s intervention: “We pray that the Lord will give sanity to Governor Kathy Hochul that she will not sign this law, but that she will simply strike it down and that law will not go into effect in New York state.”
As the nation continues to debate the value of life at its most vulnerable stages, voices like Tiburcio’s offer a sobering reminder that life is not merely a legal matter, it is a sacred gift entrusted to us by God.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
