N.Y. Senate passes Medical Aid in Dying Act; next step is Gov. Hochul’s desk
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The New York state Senate on Monday night voted to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act just days before the end of its legislative session on June 12.
“Since the first day that I began advocating for the MAID Act, I have made it clear that this legislation is about honoring a terminally ill person’s choice to make their own end-of-life decisions,” Staten Island Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton told the Advance/SILive.com, referencing a commonly used acronym for the Medical Aid in Dying Act. “This is about giving people the compassion and dignity that they deserve, the importance of which I have witnessed firsthand while meeting with many of the advocates for this legislation, many of whom were or are suffering from a terminal illness.
“I know that this is a deeply personal decision, but it is a decision that every person deserves to make for themselves,” said the Democrat who represents the North Shore of Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn. “I kept the advocacy of Brian Moffett, Ayla Eilert, and Gina Luongo with me thought the fight to get this passed. I am grateful to my colleagues for their support and look forward to this historic bill getting signed into law.”
The Medical Aid in Dying Act — which was carried by Manhattan Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the Senate and Westchester Assemblymember Amy Paulin in the Assembly, and counts Scarcella-Spanton as its 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 for the measure, also commonly known as MAID, 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.
“Deep thanks as well to Sens. Hoylman-Sigal and Scarcella-Spanton. Majorities in both houses are leading with love. They are providing terminally ill New Yorkers with the autonomy they deserve over their own end-of-life experiences. And they are providing comfort, allowing those who are dying to live their time more fully and peacefully until the end. We look forward to Gov. Hochul signing the legislation to make New York the 12th state and 13th jurisdiction in the U.S. to authorize medical aid in dying.”
