New York lawmakers pursuing assisted suicide legalization

The push to legalize physician-assisted suicide in New York continues this legislative session.

State Rep. Amy Paulin, D-New York, recently filed Assembly Bill A136, which would make assisted…

The push to legalize physician-assisted suicide in New York continues this legislative session.

State Rep. Amy Paulin, D-New York, recently filed Assembly Bill A136, which would make assisted suicide legal. 

Paulin said last year that passing the bill is her top legislative priority. 

“The urgency to pass this bill is clear as each year strong advocates for the bill continue to die from terminal illnesses,” Paulin said in a June statement. “We could have prevented their suffering and provided them with the peaceful, dignified death they sought. I’ll keep fighting for this bill next year. 

“I’m hopeful that we’ll add more legislators to back the bill, including new legislators that join us after this year’s election. This bill remains my top priority, and I will not give up until it is passed.” 

Corinne Carey, the New York director of the advocacy group Compassion and Choices, wants New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to take a position on the issue. She also met with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins last fall, and said the Democrat seems more receptive to passing the bill than in past sessions. 

Carey compared assisted suicide to abortion, making a bodily autonomy argument in favor of it. 

“It’s just a matter of time before (Democratic leaders) acknowledge what everyone else seems to already know: that autonomy at the end of life is part and parcel of this freedom that they believe in,” Carey told the Times Union. “It’s a terminal illness that is taking someone’s life, and it is wresting control from them.” 

New York Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust strongly opposes assisted suicide and said it should not be a priority for state lawmakers. 

“New Yorkers want to see the Legislature focus on issues of affordability, public safety, and mental health,” Poust told the Times Union. “Lawmakers would be wise to prioritize these issues, rather than dangerous legislation that will inevitably lead to abuses and coercion targeting the most vulnerable members of society.” 

Ten states allow assisted suicide, mostly Democrat-led ones. Some have expanded the scope of the practice post-legalization. 

Notably, Oregon and Vermont dropped their residency requirements for out-of-staters in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Plus, Colorado passed a law last year cutting the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to seven, allowing waiting period waivers for some patients, and permitting advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe assisted suicide. 

Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2016. By 2022, it became the country’s fifth-leading cause of death. Canada’s assisted suicides rose from 1,018 in 2016 to 13,241 in 2022.