New York’s state Assembly voted April 29 to legalize physician-assisted suicide, advancing a deeply controversial bill that opponents say undermines the sanctity of life and endangers the vulnerable.
The bill, known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, passed 81-67 after hours of debate and years of failed attempts, the New York Post reported. The law would allow mentally competent adults with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to request a prescription for life-ending drugs.
Several lawmakers voiced strong moral objections during the floor debate.
“Each and every life has value,” Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, R-Saratoga, said. “Progress may not be on a straight line and will look different to each of us, but this idea of giving up and dying is not excelsior, ever upward. It’s incredibly sad.”
Walsh was joined by about 20 Democrats who broke ranks to vote against the bill, including Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Erie.
“I watched my mom die. I watched my daughter die,” Peoples-Stokes said. “At some point or the other, we’re all going to go, but I don’t believe there should be a combination of six drugs offered to someone to end their life.”
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, the bill’s sponsor, said her sister’s death from ovarian cancer inspired her to push for the legislation.
While the measure now heads to the Senate, its future remains uncertain. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Westchester, said she’s open to discussion but made no commitment to a vote. Gov. Kathy Hochul has also stayed silent on whether she would sign the bill if it reaches her desk.
Religious leaders and disability rights advocates remain staunchly opposed.
“New York State should instead strengthen palliative care, improve health care services and counseling for people in crisis and show America what real compassion looks like,” said Robert Bellafiore, spokesperson for the New York State Catholic Conference, according to the New York Post.
In a broader warning against the bill, the conference pointed to the evolving situation in Canada as a cautionary example. Since Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2015 for those with terminal and painful illnesses, the criteria have widened to include individuals with non-terminal but “intolerable” conditions.
Canadian policymakers have also proposed expanding eligibility to those with mental illness and even “mature minors,” according to the conference.
“These shocking developments prove that such a law, even with so-called safeguards, devalues human life,” the conference stated. “Implementing assisted suicide as an accepted medical ‘treatment’ sends the message that our most vulnerable populations are not worth the resources it might take to improve their lives. Those most at risk of being taken advantage of and discarded by the health system will be endangered further.”