New York on the cusp of allowing medical aid in helping terminally ill die as state Senate sends controversial bill to Hochul’s desk
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A bill that would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to end their lives with prescribed medication passed the New York state Senate on Monday.
Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a co-sponsor, reflected on the role of “yellow shirt” advocates who regularly filled the Capitol, many of whom did not live to see the bill passed.
“We know that there’s people like us who fight on behalf of our families, on behalf of our constituents, who have personal stories,” she said. “But then we know that there were people who were fighting on behalf of themselves.”
She read a message from Gina Longo, a terminally ill constituent who died weeks before the vote:
“I believe I’m heading into liver failure and have been bedridden for weeks … I just pray for them [others suffering], because nobody should have to live in this pain.”
