KINIGSTON, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pledge to sign state legislation legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill drew a sense of relief from Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, a fellow Democrat and co-sponsor.
But it also drew concern from Assemblyman Brian Maher, a Republican from Walden who represents the 101st Assembly District.
The two state lawmakers responded Thursday to inquiries about Hochul’s pledge to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Other area lawmakers continued to remain silent on the subject, despite their votes.
“I’m extremely relieved, on behalf of my constituents who have had to witness their loved ones die an unnecessarily painful death, that this legislation has crossed this hurdle after many years of organizing,” Shrestha said in a statement when asked for comment.
“The Governor said it best in her op-ed: this is about a matter of individual choice that does not have to be about shortening life but rather about shortening dying, and condemning someone to excruciating pain and suffering is not what preserves the dignity and sanctity of life,” Shrestha said.
Maher said in a statement issued Thursday evening, when asked for comment, that he remains concerned about the legislation. He voted against it.
Maher said that the “announcement that Gov. Hochul intends to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act underscores the deeply personal and profoundly complex nature of end-of-life decisions for families across our state,” Maher said. “While I recognize the heartfelt testimony many have shared about suffering and the desire for compassion in the final stages of life, I remain deeply concerned about the broader implications of this policy change.”
“Life is a fundamental value that deserves our utmost protection, and I worry that expanding state-sanctioned options for medically assisted suicide, even with ‘guardrails,’ may inadvertently send the wrong message about the sanctity of human life,” the assemblymember said. “We must ensure that all New Yorkers—especially our most vulnerable, including the disabled and those facing chronic or terminal conditions—are afforded dignity, care and access to comprehensive options such as palliative and hospice care without feeling coerced or pressured into irreversible choices.”
New York is set to become the latest state to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill under a deal reached between the governor and state legislative leaders announced Wednesday.
Hochul plans to sign the proposal next year after pushing to add a series of “guardrails” in the bill, she announced in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union.
Hochul, a Catholic, said she came to the decision after hearing from New Yorkers in the “throes of pain and suffering,” as well as their children, while also considering opposition from “individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life.”
“I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. “This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life.”
A dozen other states and the District of Columbia have laws to allow medically assisted suicide, according to advocates, including a law in Illinois signed last week that goes into effect next year.
New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act requires that a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six months make a written request for life-ending drugs. Two witnesses would have to 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.
Under the bill, insurers would be prohibited from recommending or providing information on medical aid in dying to patients, including alongside denial of coverage notices for other treatments. Insurers would only be permitted to provide patients with information on medical aid in dying when the patient or their physician expressly requests such information or within general coverage information. Additionally, the legislation provides legal protections for the patients and their physicians.
The governor said the bill’s sponsors and legislative leaders have agreed to add provisions to require confirmation from a medical doctor that the person “truly had less than six months to live,” along with confirmation from a psychologist or psychiatrist that the patient is capable of making the decision and is not under duress.
Besides Shrestha, Assemblyman Jonathon Jacobson, D-City of Newburgh, and Senator Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties, voted in favor of the bill. Neither of them responded to an inquiry about Hochul’s announcement. Hinchey also did not respond to an inquiry when the bill passed the state Senate in June.
Hinchey represents the 41st Senate District while Jacobson represents the 104th Assembly District.
Senator Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, who is running for the 19th Congressional District, voted against the bill. He did not respond to an inquiry on Thursday about Hochul’s announcement or when the bill passed the state Senate in June.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
