N.Y. Assembly votes in favor of medical aid in dying
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In a historic move, the New York state Assembly on Tuesday voted to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
This vote marks the first time the bill — known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, or M.A.i.D. Act — has reached either the Assembly or Senate floor for a vote since first being introduced in the 2015-2016 legislative session by then-Staten Island state Sen. Diane Savino.
The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which counts Staten Island state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton as its current prime co-sponsor, would allow mentally competent, terminally ill patients over the age of 18 the choice of self-administering prescribed life-ending medication. Only those with medically confirmed terminal illnesses and conditions who have fewer than six months to live would be able to request medical aid in dying. A person wouldn’t qualify solely because of age or disability, and there is no list of qualifying medical conditions. If passed, health care providers who didn’t wish to participate in the process could opt out without fear of retribution.
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