New York lawmakers approve bill that would allow medically assisted
suicide for the terminally ill
[June 10, 2025]
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — 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.
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The New York state Senate meets in the Senate Chamber on the opening
day of the legislative session at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y.,
on Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
 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.
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