The charter "reaffirms the sanctity of life" as a gift from God and calls on those working in health care to be "servants" and "ministers of life."

"The fight will continue to go state by state. There's a strategy by proponents to get more states on board before they bring a case to the court."

The bishop said contemporary society was "showered with random data" and often showed a "frightening superficiality towards moral issues."

The four-page letter offers a "pastoral reflection" on the challenges the assisted-dying law.

In this year's election, voters went against nearly all of the ballot initiatives backed by Catholic leaders and advocates, except referendums on minimum wage increases and gun control measures in four states.

Euthanasia is occurring in Quebec at three times the rate the government predicted, but obtaining accurate statistics on medically assisted deaths across Canada is almost impossible and could lead to abuse, according to opponents of the practice.