Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : June 11, 2025 2:14 PM IST
New York Lawmakers Pass Bill To Give Terminally-Ill Patients The Choice To Medically End Life (Photo: Pixabay/representational)
In a major and bold healthcare move that many are considering to be progressive, the New York State Senate has passed a bill that will give terminally-ill patients the choice to end their lives in an ethical and medical way. The 'Medical Aid in Dying Act' will apparently allow those who are terminally ill to make a choice of whether they want to end their life. It is now with the New York governor Kathy Hochul, who will decide before signing on it. According to news reports, if the bill passes, it will make New York the 12th state in the US to allow terminally ill individuals to choose medical aid in dying, a topic that has been contested for far too long, and in many countries.
One of the sponsors of the bill, state senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, was quoted as telling The New York Times, "It isn't about ending a person's life, but shortening their death."
According to news reports, the bill states that those who are eligible for it must be 'mentally competent' and have a 'terminal illness', which has been 'medically confirmed and will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within six months'. Patients eligible for medical aid in dying can request a 'lethal dose' of medication that they would 'self-administer'. The request should come in writing.
There must also be two persons who can witness the request; they must not be blood relatives, or who would be 'entitled to any portion of the estate of the patient upon death'. Basically, it should not be anyone with a vested interest in the case.
"This is about personal autonomy. This is about liberty. This is about exercising one's own freedom to control one's own body," Hoylman-Sigal told The New York Times.
Other news reports state that while the State Assembly 'approved' the measure in April, it will ultimately be Hochul's decision that will prevail. She has, however, not made it clear as to whether she supports it and wants it to become a law.
