ALBOWES, N — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday she has reached an agreement with state legislative leaders to approve a bill providing terminally ill people legal ability to commit suicide lives with prescribed medications.
In an article in Albany Times UnionHochul said she supports the proposal but has made an agreement with lawmakers to include “guardrails” in the measure before she signs it into law.
Hochul, a Catholic, said she came to her decision after hearing from New Yorkers experiencing “the agony of pain and suffering” and their children, and taking into account opposition from “people of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening life expectancy violates the sanctity of life.”
“I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate and we should be the same,” she wrote. “This includes providing compassionate options to those facing the unimaginable and seeking comfort in their final months in this life.”
A dozen other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, advocates say. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the law on Friday it would allow terminally ill residents of this state to decide to end their lives.
New York State's Medical Assistance in Dying law requires a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six months to make a written request for lethal drugs. Two witnesses will be required to sign the request to ensure that the patient is not being coerced. The request must then be approved by the person's treating physician as well as the consulting physician.
The governor said the bill's sponsors and legislative leaders agreed to add provisions requiring certification from a doctor that a person “truly has less than six months to live” and certification from a psychologist or psychiatrist that the patient is capable of making a decision and is not under duress.
Hochul also said the bill would include a mandatory five-day waiting period, as well as a written and recorded oral request to “certify the existence of free will.” Outpatient facilities affiliated with religious hospitals may choose not to offer this option.
She added that “this right is limited to New Yorkers only.”
Spokeswoman Hochul said the governor will sign the legislation next year and her changes will be included in the proposal.
The bill was first introduced in 2016 but stalled for years due to opposition from the New York State Catholic Conference and other groups. The Catholic organization argues that the measure would devalue human life and undermine the doctor's role as a healer.
In a statement following the governor's announcement, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the New York bishops said Hochul's position “signals that our government is abandoning its most vulnerable citizens by telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but encouraged by our elected leaders.”
New York lawmakers approved the legislation during their regulatory session earlier this year. Supporters said it would reduce suffering for terminally ill people and allow them to die on their own terms.
