New York State Legislature Passes the “Medical Aid in Dying” Act in June 2025, now waiting for the New York Governor to make it the law.
In June 2025, the New York State legislature passed the “Medical Aid in Dying” Act to allow a New York mentally capable, terminally ill adult to request a prescription from their healthcare provider for a medication they can ingest to die peacefully. (Click the number here for full text of the Assembly Bill A00136 same bill in Senate Bill S00138). The language of the bills includes the following justification for it:
“Faced with a terminal diagnosis, when no curative treatment options exist, New Yorkers deserve the full range of options for care at the end of life. The law would authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live who have been determined by two doctors to be mentally capable to make an informed decision.
Medical aid in dying allows a mentally capable, terminally ill adult to request a prescription from their healthcare provider for a medication that they can choose to ingest to die peacefully. The multi-step request process, strict eligibility criteria, and other safeguards embedded in this legislation ensure that patients pursuing the option, healthcare providers who deliver care pursuant to the law, and those who refrain from participating in medical aid in dying are all protected.
Authorizing the full range of end-of-life options, including medical aid in dying, allows people to engage in open conversations with their healthcare providers, their loved ones and their faith leaders about the end of life experience they want.”
Note, action under this law and hospice are not an either/or proposition and patients enrolled in hospice care will also be able to act hereunder. In addition, the bill carefully provides for many safeguards, such as, (1) protection for patients privacy and records, (2) death certificates provide the reason for death as the underlying illness and not the act of self-administered medication, (3) that a patient not be considered a person who is suicidal for any purpose, and the action shall not be construed for any purpose to constitute suicide…mercy killing, or homicide under the law, including as an accomplice or accessory or otherwise, (4) that no provision in a contract, will or other agreement, whether written or oral, to the extent the provision would affect whether a person may make or rescind a request for medication or take any other action under the article, shall be valid, (5) no obligation owing under any contract will be conditioned upon or affected by the making or rescinding of a request by a person for medication or taking any other action under the article, (6) that a person and his or her beneficiaries shall not be denied benefits under a life insurance policy for actions taken in accordance with the article, and the sale, procurement or issuance of a life or health insurance or annuity policy or the rate charged for the policy shall not be conditioned upon or affected by the patient making or rescinding a request for the medication, and (7) further protects Professionals by restricting insurers issuing professional malpractice insurance policy to prevent them from adjusting rates charged conditioned upon or affected by whether the insured does or does not take or participate in any action under this article.
The Bill further discusses all the support it has in New York State and that said support includes “Close to 60 organizations that represent many aspects of civil society across New York State support medical aid in dying.” Click the links above for the bill containing the full list).
