NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a landmark agreement with the State Legislature on Wednesday to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live.
The legislation is set to be passed and signed this coming January, with the law taking effect six months later. The decision follows years of intense debate and personal reflection by the governor, who cited her own mother’s battle with ALS as a primary influence.
"New York has long been a beacon of freedom, and now it is time we extend that freedom to terminally ill New Yorkers who want the right to die comfortably and on their own terms," Hochul said. "I am all too familiar with the pain of seeing someone you love suffer and being powerless to stop it. This bill would allow New Yorkers to suffer less—to shorten not their lives, but their deaths."
To ensure patient safety, the agreement includes several strict "guardrails" which include a mandatory five-day waiting period for prescriptions, required mental health evaluations, and a mandate that oral requests be recorded via video or audio. Additionally, anyone who stands to benefit financially from a patient's death is prohibited from acting as a witness or interpreter.
The law will be restricted to New York residents and requires an initial in-person physician evaluation. It also protects the rights of religiously-affiliated hospice providers to opt out.
The six-month delay in implementation is intended to give the Department of Health and medical institutions sufficient time to train staff and establish formal regulations.
A dozen other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, according to advocates. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Friday that will allow terminally ill residents of that state to choose to end their lives.
The New York legislation was first introduced in 2016 but stalled for years amid opposition from New York State Catholic Conference and other groups. The Catholic organization argued the measure would devalue human life and undermine the physician’s role as a healer.In a statement after the governor's announcement, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the New York's bishops said Hochul's position “signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders.”
New York lawmakers approved the legislation during their regulation session earlier this year. Supporters said it would reduce suffering for terminally ill people and let them die on their own terms.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.