The regular business of the New York State Legislature has been temporarily postponed in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
New York’s 2020 Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.2694/S.3947) would authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live and found by two doctors to be mentally capable to make this medical decision. The law would give eligible patients the option to request a prescription for medication they can take to shorten a difficult, painful dying process.
Faced with a terminal diagnosis, New Yorkers deserve the full range of medically appropriate options for care at the end of life. Email New York lawmakers and urge them to support medical aid-in-dying legislation.
Compassion & Choices New York is building support for the bill. From Buffalo to Long Island, the North Country to Brooklyn and everywhere in between, our staff and volunteers are working to host events and film screenings, participate in public dialogue, and offer workshops on advance planning and end-of-life options to communities across the state. To join our campaign and learn about opportunities to help in your own community, click here.
To sign up to help or request an event or workshop in your own community, email us at [email protected].
The authorization of medical aid in dying in New York and the implementation of medical aid-in-dying law in neighboring New Jersey are among our top priorities. Click here to view a report of our recent progress in New York and New Jersey.
Attend an Event in New York
Add your name to demand that medical aid in dying be authorized in New York!
Learn about our campaign progress in New York. Updated periodically.
Join a New York Action TeamAn Action Team is a group of passionate and dedicated individuals who volunteer in their state on grassroots efforts to enact legislation that improves care and expands end-of-life choice.
Toolkit for VolunteersView our New York-specific volunteer resources.
Resources for Medical ProfessionalsAccess our resources for medical professionals.
Summary of the New York Medical Aid in Dying ActRead our bill summary of the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.2694/S.3947)
Polls: A Majority of New Yorkers Want the OptionSee statewide polling that shows a majority of New Yorkers want access to medical aid in dying as an end-of-life care option.
Educational Display: Pass the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act NOW!View our educational display exhibited to lawmakers and visitors at Albany's Legislative Office Building, January 21 to 23, 2020.
New York currently has 12 action team leaders heading action teams in Rockland, the Lower Hudson Valley, Long Island, Albany, the North Country, Buffalo, Rochester, New York City and Syracuse. Action teams are a critical part of Compassion & Choices. They bring together and train other volunteers in their area to coordinate outreach efforts to local officials and educate communities and health professionals. To join one near you, click here.
Since the Medical Aid in Dying Act was introduced in 2016, Compassion & Choices’ New York team has worked to increase the number of supporters throughout the state, cultivated relationships with doctors, increased our outreach to communities of color and built support among influential statewide organizations. The Assembly Health Committee held two hearings on the legislation with more than 200 New Yorkers attending and providing testimony; however, lawmakers adjourned for the 2018 session in June without taking any action on the bill. They returned in January 2019 for the next two-year session, and the Medical Aid in Dying Act was reintroduced in the Assembly and Senate on January 25 and February 21, respectively.
In an interview with Albany-based WAMC Northeast Public Radio on April 9, 2019, when asked about medical aid in dying Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “Pass the bill.”
“The older we get and the better medicine gets, the more we’ve seen people suffer for too, too long … it’s a situation we have to address definitely,” Cuomo said. This is the first time Governor Cuomo has publicly spoken on this issue, and we’re hopeful that his statement will help supportive lawmakers’ efforts to pass medical aid-in-dying legislation.
The New York State legislature adjourned its 2019 session on Thursday, June 20, without taking action on New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act. Because New York’s legislature operates on a 2-year cycle, the bill will remain pending through 2020.
The New York State Assembly may consider a bill (A00030) that would create a committee to study medical aid in dying. We will provide updates on this legislation as they become available.
State-specific advance directives make clear your end-of-life preferences if you are unable to make or communicate medical treatment decisions yourself. For the New York advance directive form, click here.
Compassion & Choices launched a robust campaign to authorize medical aid in dying in New York in September 2015.
The Medical Aid in Dying Act was first introduced on May 10, 2016, and nearly 100 C&C supporters turned out to the New York state Capitol in support of the bill. In 2016, we brought lawmakers to the table to negotiate the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Supporters contacted their representatives in Albany to urge approval in the Health committee, and on May 23, 2016, the Assembly Health Committee passed the bill.
The New York campaign has built support for the legislation by collecting over 10,000 petition signatures at state, county, and local fairs, festivals, and events. Our supporters have met with lawmakers in Albany on our lobby days and in their district offices. We’ve built a coalition of supportive organizations representing doctors, seniors and healthcare advocates; and we have helped dozens of New Yorkers tell their stories in the media and in hearings held by the New York State Assembly during the Spring of 2018. You can read those stories here.
NY hearing FINAL 6.8.18In 2019 lawmakers in Albany were be asked to take up the Medical Aid in Dying Act once again for consideration. The New York State legislature adjourned its 2019 session on Thursday, June 20, without taking action on New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act. Because New York’s legislature operates on a 2-year cycle, the bill will remain pending through 2020.
Eagle Point Strategies Survey, September 2015:
Three of four New York voters (77%) think that “when a mentally competent adult is dying from a terminal illness that cannot be cured, the adult should be allowed the option to request a prescription for life-ending medication from their doctor, and decide whether and when to use that medication to end their suffering in their final stages of dying.”
Read the full New York polling data.
If you have been invited to an upcoming event, keep an eye out for email updates, as we may postpone, cancel, or change the format of events as needed on an event-by-event basis.
We’re monitoring this rapidly-evolving situation closely to make the most informed decisions about events and gatherings. If you have any questions, please reach out via our contact form.
