Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that she will sign a controversial doctor‑assisted suicide bill, ending a long‑standing debate over whether New York should permit terminally ill residents to end their lives with medical help.
In a Times Union op‑ed, she framed the decision as a civil‑rights issue that safeguards an intensely personal choice.
“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,” she wrote.
“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.”
The bill’s passage in the Legislature last June was razor‑thin and drew sharp opposition from religious groups and disability‑rights advocates. Hochul explained that doctors and faith‑based health facilities may still decline to offer the service and that the law includes safeguards for patients, families and providers.
She also noted the law’s five‑day mandatory waiting period, giving patients time to reconsider.
“Finally, this is a right afforded to New Yorkers only,” she wrote.
“These are fundamental protections to ensure vulnerable people aren’t pressured, misled or left without alternatives.”
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