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NY OKs Assisted Suicide 12/18 06:30
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- 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.
Democratic Gov. Kathy 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 month 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.
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.
Hochul also said the bill will include a mandatory five-day waiting period
as well as a written and recorded oral request to "confirm free will is
present." Outpatient facilities associated with religious hospitals may elect
not to offer the option.
She added that she wants the bill to apply only to New York residents.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that a similar law in New
Jersey applies only to residents of that state and not those from beyond its
borders.
Hochul said she will sign the bill into law next year, with her changes
weaved into the proposal. It will go into effect six months after it is signed.
Later on Wednesday, Hochul said supporting the bill was one of the toughest
decisions she has made as governor.
"Who am I to deny you or your loved one what they're begging for at the end
of their life?" she said. "I couldn't do that any longer."
The 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.
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