New York set to allow physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients

Yahoo

10-06-2025

New York lawmakers on Monday passed a bill that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives with doctor-prescribed lethal medication. The State Senate approved the measure with a 35-27 vote, following the state Assembly's approval in April.
If signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York would join 11 other states that permit 'medical assistance in dying' (MAiD) or 'assisted suicide' for terminally ill patients, joining Oregon, Colorado, California, Vermont and other jurisdictions where MAiD has been legalized. New York is the second state to approve such legislation in 2025, following Delaware, which did so in May.
The bill permits people diagnosed with a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less to request a prescription for life-ending medication. To qualify, patients must be at least 18 years old, mentally competent, and have their diagnosis and prognosis confirmed by two physicians. A psychiatric evaluation is required only if deemed necessary by one of the physicians.
Supporters of the bill argue that it provides terminally ill individuals with autonomy and a dignified end-of-life option.
'Since the first day that I began advocating for the MAiD Act, I have made it clear that this legislation is about honoring a terminally ill person's choice to make their own end-of-life decisions,' Staten Island Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton told the Advance/SILive.com. 'This is about giving people the compassion and dignity that they deserve, the importance of which I have witnessed firsthand while meeting with many of the advocates for this legislation, many of whom were or are suffering from a terminal illness.'
State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat and the bill's sponsor, echoed that sentiment: 'It's not about hastening death, but ending suffering,' he said, per ABC News.
Opponents of the bill, which include the American Medical Association, express concerns about potential abuse, the adequacy of safeguards, and the potential impact on people who lack access to adequate care.
'This is not compassionate care. It is a policy that exploits fear, undermines trust in the medical profession, and opens the door to abuse and neglect,' members of The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide said in a statement after the vote.
Efforts to legalize medical aid in dying in New York date back more than a decade, but previous attempts through the courts were unsuccessful. The state's Supreme Court rejected a challenge in the 1990s, and in 2017, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted death, leaving the matter to the legislature.
Faith groups speak up
Since the passage of the bill by the New York Senate, faith groups and religious leaders spoke up condemning the vote. Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, the largest umbrella organization of Orthodox Jews, called the vote a 'tragic development for all New Yorkers and a radical departure from the ethical assumptions shared by all faiths.'
'New Yorkers do not need assisted suicide; they need a whole-of society effort to provide 'Medical and Social Aid in Living,' to build hope and enhance care and treatment for the terminally ill and for the physically, emotionally and economically vulnerable, young and old,' Hauer said in a statement.
The government must improve care and treatment for the terminally ill, he said. 'Instead, the government is leading the way in validating, accepting, and accelerating despair.'
A Catholic group representing bishops of the state also criticized the vote. 'This is a dark day for New York state,' said a statement from Dennis Proust and The New York State Catholic Conference posted on X.
The group called on the state to strengthen palliative care, health care and counseling services. 'Passage of the legislation also would send the message — perhaps unintentionally — that suicide is an acceptable solution to a problem," said Robert Bellafiore, the group's spokesman, per National Catholic Reporter. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, had described the proposal as 'a disaster waiting to happen" after the Assembly vote last month.
Opponents argue that the legislation would hurt the vulnerable populations, especially those with disabilities and mental illness.
The American Medical Association also expressed its opposition to MAiD. 'Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician's role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks,' according to American Medical Association's website.
Dr. Lydia Dugdale, a physician and ethicist at Columbia University, argued that MAiD fails to protect people living with depression, a condition that can distort thinking and lead to suicidal decisions that don't reflect a person's true will.
Modeled after the Oregon bill, the New York bill, if enacted, will not require patients to be screened for depression. 'This is a major oversight that fails to protect depressed people from making flawed decisions,' Dugdale wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. 'Depression is not just a mood; it distorts perception, often convincing people that their lives are worthless, their loved ones are better off without them and death is their only option.'
Groups opposing MAiD are calling on Hochul to refuse to sign bill.
'We strongly urge her to veto this legislation,' said a statement by The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide. 'The governor still has the opportunity to uphold New York's commitment to suicide prevention, protect vulnerable communities, and affirm that every life — regardless of disability, age, or diagnosis — is worthy of care, dignity, and protection."
Hochul, a Democrat and a Catholic, has not yet said whether she will sign the bill. The New York Times reported that a spokesperson only said she would review it.