NY Senate sends assisted suicide bill to governor; NY Catholic Conference urges veto

Assisted suicide is one step closer to becoming legal in New York.

The state Senate voted 35-27 to approve assisted suicide legislation Monday, though several Democrats joined Republicans in opposing it. Because the measure already passed in the state Assembly in April, it now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.

Hochul has until the end of the year to sign or veto the measure, Newsday reports.

State Sen. Steve Chan, R-South Brooklyn, opposed the measure, saying it lacked sufficient safeguards to earn his support. 

“I admire the compassion component of this bill, but there are just too many aspects that are bad about this,” Chan said on the Senate floor. “There’s no oversight, and I’m going to have to vote no on behalf of my district.” 

Meanwhile, state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, D-Manhattan, voted for it, but argued the state should go no further on the issue. 

“We are the guardians of the slippery slope,” Hoylman-Sigal told reporters. “We would be the ones to expand this law, not the courts, and we should not.” 

Hochul has not said whether she will sign the bill. 

“Governor Hochul will review the legislation,” said Avi Small, the governor’s spokesperson. 

The New York State Catholic Conference urged Hochul to veto the proposal. 

“The Governor has said she will review the legislation when it gets to her desk,” the organization’s statement said. “We expect that when she does so, she will conclude what 27 of her fellow Democrats in the Legislature have – that this bill would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations who will be at the mercy of a healthcare industry that will soon be reeling from federal Medicaid cuts.” 

Eleven states, mostly Democrat-led ones, have legalized assisted suicide. A few states have expanded the scope of the practice since legalization. 

Oregon and Vermont ended their residency requirements for out-of-staters in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

Additionally, Colorado enacted a law in 2024 cutting the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to seven, establishing waiting-period waivers for some patients and letting advanced practice registered nurses prescribe it. 

Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2016. It became the country’s fifth-leading cause of death by 2022, increasing from 1,018 cases in 2016 to 13,241 cases in 2022.