New York's assisted suicide law, the "Medical Aid in Dying Act," went into effect Wednesday, permitting terminally ill adults to request life-ending medication from their physicians. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation in February, but it has faced opposition from religious organizations, including the Catholic Church.
The New York State Catholic Conference has criticized the law, stating it represents an "abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens" and encourages suicide. The law allows adults aged 18 and older with a terminal prognosis of six months or less to live to request self-administered euthanasia medication, provided they are of sound mind and physically capable of administering it.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who sponsored a previous iteration of the bill, called the law's effective date "historic" for compassion, dignity, and personal autonomy in the state. Governor Hochul stated that the act will allow terminally ill New Yorkers "the right to spend their final days not under sterile hospital lights but with sunlight streaming through their bedroom window."
The legislation, which passed the state Legislature in June 2025, includes provisions such as a mental health evaluation and a five-day waiting period before a prescription is filled. Exemptions for religious institutions are also part of the law.
New York becomes the 13th state, in addition to Washington D.C., to legalize doctor-assisted suicide. The "Medical Aid in Dying Act" had been under consideration in Albany for over a decade before its passage.