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OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
4:36 PM – Wednesday, December 17, 2025
New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that she intends to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law early next year, which would make New York the latest U.S. state to allow terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to request life-ending medication from physicians.
Certain religious leaders and disability advocates quickly accursed Hochul’s decision to approve the bill, while the Governor arguing, “like gay marriage,” it is a civil rights issue.
“The Medical Aid in Dying Act will afford terminally ill New Yorkers the right to spend their final days not under sterile hospital lights but with sunlight streaming through their bedroom window,” Hochul stated.
“The right to spend their final days not hearing the droning hum of hospital machines but instead the laughter of their grandkids echoing in the next room. The right to tell their family they love them and be able to hear those precious words in return.”
Governor Hochul further acknowledged concerns that the original Medical Aid in Dying Act lacked sufficient protections against vulnerable patients, such as the elderly or disabled, being pressured, coerced, or persuaded into ending their lives. She viewed the bill’s existing safeguards as “essential but not sufficient,” which is why she negotiated additional amendments before agreeing to support and sign it.
A plethora of new safeguards were added into the legislation, such as:
- A five-day waiting period between the doctor writing the prescription and the patient filling it.
- The patient must record a video or audio recording requesting medical aid in dying
- The patient must undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation by a qualified mental health professional.
- Any potential persons who would financially benefit from the patient’s death is prohibited from being a witness or interpreter for the request.
- Medical aid in dying would only be granted to New York Residents.
- The patient’s first doctor’s evaluation must be in person
- Home hospice providers with religious affiliation can refuse to offer medical aid in dying services
- The law would take effect six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to create necessary rules and allow healthcare facilities to prepare staff.
“My mother died of ALS and I am all too familiar with the pain of seeing someone you love to suffer and being powerless to stop it,” said Governor Hochul. “Although this was an incredibly difficult decision, I ultimately determined that with the additional guardrails agreed upon with the legislature, this bill would allow New Yorkers to suffer less to shorten not their lives, but their deaths.”
“I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be. This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life.”
Opponents of the legislation previously rallied across New York State for two weeks before the governor announced her support for the bill. The New York State Alliance Against Assisted Suicide claims the bill is too dangerous, with concerns the precedent it could set.
“No amendments are acceptable,” the organization said. “No amount of legislative tinkering can eliminate the risks of coercion, misdiagnosis, untreated depression, or inaccurate prognoses, all of which could lead people to end their lives prematurely.”
Advocates with the New York Association on Independent Living, a group that supports individuals with disabilities, spoke up about their concerns as well.
“This bill is being signed at a time when supports like home care are facing eligibility restrictions and workforce shortages” said Elizabeth McCormick, the group’s director of advocacy, in a statement.
“The truth is, no amount of safeguards can protect people with disabilities. When people cannot access the care they need to live, and feel they have no real alternatives, there is no longer a promise of “choice.”
Hochul will pass the amended version of the Medical Aid in Dying Act, signing it in January 2026. The law will take effect six months later, making New York the 13th state to authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults.
The 11 other states that allow medical aid in dying, in addition to Oregon, are California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington, along with the District of Columbia (DC). Oregon was the first state to authorize it, while Delaware and Illinois laws are fairly new and have future effective dates.
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