New York state Assembly has passed the "Medical Aid in Dying Act" with a vote of 81-67, allowing terminally ill patients diagnosed with six months or less to live to access lethal medication. The measure follows extensive debate, where significant opposition emerged, highlighting concerns over the value of life. Critics argue the bill represents state-supported suicide, citing personal experiences with death. Despite the Assembly passage, its future in the Senate and potential support from Governor Hochul remain uncertain, although discussions are expected to continue in Albany.
"Each and every life has value," Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R-Saratoga), one of the legislation's opponents, said on the Assembly floor. "Progress may not be on a straight line and will look different to each of us, but this idea of giving up and dying is not excelsior, ever upward. It's incredibly sad."
"I watched my mom die. I watched my daughter die. And I know that for a fact that none of us are getting out of here alive...but I don't believe there should be a combination of six drugs offered to someone to end their life," Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Erie) said.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins acknowledged that the proposal has gained traction over the last few years and that she would discuss it with members. "The conversation had begun in earnest last year. So I think we have time to look at it seriously," she told reporters.
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