New York lawmakers approve bill that would allow medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill

Terminally ill New Yorkers would have the legal ability to end their own lives with pharmaceutical drugs under a bill that's been approved by the New York state Legislature

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Terminally ill New Yorkers would have the legal ability to end their own lives with pharmaceutical drugs under a bill passed Monday in the state Legislature.

The proposal, which now moves to the governor's office, would allow a person with an incurable illness to be prescribed life-ending drugs if he or she requests the medication and gets approval from two physicians. A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would review the legislation.

The New York Senate gave final approval to the bill Monday night after hours of debate during which supporters said it would let terminally ill people die on their own terms.

“It’s not about hastening death, but ending suffering,” said state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who sponsored the proposal.

Opponents have argued the state should instead improve end-of-life medical care or have objected on religious grounds.

“We should not be in the business of state-authorized suicide,” said state Sen. George Borrello, a Republican.

The state Assembly passed the measure in late April.

The proposal requires that a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six month make a written request for the drugs. Two witnesses would have sign the request to ensure that the patient is not being coerced. The request would then have to be approved by the person's attending physician as well as a consulting physician.

The legislation was first introduced in 2016, Hoylman-Sigal said, though it has stalled year after year in the New York statehouse.

Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, which has opposed the measure, said “This is a dark day for New York State."

Eleven other states and Washington, D.C., have laws allowing medically assisted suicide, according to Compassion & Choices, an advocacy organization that backs the policy. Corinne Carey, the group's local campaign director, said lawmakers had “recognized how important it is to give terminally ill New Yorkers the autonomy they deserve over their own end-of-life experiences.”

“The option of medical aid in dying provides comfort, allowing those who are dying to live their time more fully and peacefully until the end,” said Carey.