"Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve to sign or veto a bill that would literally mean life or death for many New Yorkers. Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID) which would, if enacted, give terminally ill patients in the state with six months or less to live the option to end their lives using a prescribed lethal cocktail of drugs. The legislation would legalize the practice known as physician-assisted suicide."
"MAID has proven controversial. While proponents say physician-assisted suicide delivers a dignified, merciful end to people dying of agonizing terminal illnesses, opponents argue that it sets the state on the course of adopting euthanasia through a program that, they say, offers inadequate safeguards to protect vulnerable patients and communities. If Hochul vetoes the bill, proponents of MAID would need to reintroduce the bill in the next legislative session, beginning in January, if they choose to try and make it law again."
Legislature passed MAID to allow terminally ill patients with six months or less to obtain a prescribed lethal drug cocktail to end their lives. The law would legalize physician-assisted suicide; patients would receive a pharmacy prescription and self-administer the drugs. Proponents call the option dignified and merciful for people with agonizing terminal illnesses. Opponents argue MAID risks moving the state toward euthanasia and lacks adequate safeguards for vulnerable patients and communities. Gov. Kathy Hochul must sign or veto by midnight on New Year's Eve; a veto would necessitate reintroduction next session. A Manhattan resident named Robin watched her husband fight metastasized prostate cancer for two years.
Read at www.amny.com
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