New York Senate passes bill to legalize assisted suicide

New York Senate lawmakers passed a bill Monday to legalize assisted suicide in the state. As the legislation already passed the House, it now heads to the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul for her signature.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• S138 would allow a person with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live to request drugs to help end his or her life.

• The request would need to be approved by two physicians, and two witnesses would need to sign a statement verifying that the patient is not being coerced.

• The bill passed the state Assembly in April and next heads to the desk of Hochul, who says she will review it.

THE DETAILS

The legislation passed the state Senate Monday night with a vote of 35-27.

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, one of the bill’s sponsors, claimed the legislation is about freedom. “This is about personal autonomy,” he said. “This is about liberty. This is about exercising one’s own freedom to control one’s own body.”

He also emphasized the right for a person to follow their “own moral code.”

“For so many patients, it’s about living,” he said. “It’s about planning your life in a way that you can end it peacefully. We understand the moral concerns on the other side of the aisle, but we choose to act independently within our own moral code.”

Hoylman-Sigal dismissed idea of the “slippery slope,” when safeguards and restrictions are further loosened down the road.

“We are the guardians of the slippery slope,” he claimed. “We would be the ones to expand this law, not the courts, and we should not.”

COMMENTARY

While Hoylman-Sigal’s comments may have eased some minds, reality stands in contradiction.

Other jurisdictions that have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide — including Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, California, Oregon, and Vermont — have later taken action to remove safeguards and restrictions in the name of making assisted suicide more “accessible.” There is nothing to suggest that New York would somehow be any different from its predecessors.

Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, called the bill’s passage “a dark day for New York State” and called on Hochul for her veto.

“We reject the false notion that suicide is ever a solution,” he said. “Instead, we call on New York State to expand palliative and hospice care, mental health services, and family caregiver support. We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor on these priorities following her veto of this disastrous bill.”

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Robert Bellafiore, a spokesman for the group, warned that it sends the wrong message about suicide — especially to the nation’s youth.

“It tells young people, who everyone knows are in the midst of an unprecedented mental health crisis, that life is disposable, and that it’s OK to end your life if you see no hope,” he said.