New York achieved a historic milestone on February 6, 2026, when Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law. Her signature followed years of advocacy, testimony, and personal sacrifice by Compassion & Choices supporters and their allies. Now, in the nation’s fourth most populous state, this right is no longer theoretical; beginning August 5, 2026, it will be real and available to eligible terminally ill people in New York.
For people facing the end of life, this law affirms a basic truth: Your body remains your own. Even in the final stages of illness, you retain the authority to decide how you want your last days to unfold and who you want beside you. Serious illness can take away independence, privacy, and control. Medical aid in dying cannot remove disease, but it restores agency at a moment when so much else has been taken.
This victory matters deeply. But treating it as the finish line would betray the very people who fought hardest for it.
Numerous New Yorkers who would have chosen medical aid in dying died during the years it took to pass this law. Many knew it would not come in time for them, yet they advocated anyway. They shared their stories publicly while their bodies were failing, not for their own benefit but to help others. Among them were Ayla Rain Eilert, Bernadette Hoppe, Youssef Cohen, Brian Moffett, and Jay Kallio — people who loved and were loved, whose courage helped make this moment possible. Honoring them requires more than gratitude; it requires action.
First, everyone should know this right exists. A law that lives only on paper cannot change lives. Communities across the state — urban and rural, affluent and struggling, English‑speaking and not — deserve clear, accurate information about what medical aid in dying is, how it works, and who qualifies. Silence breeds misinformation, and we cannot allow confusion or stigma to shape public understanding.
Second, we must normalize conversations about death long before a crisis strikes. Too often, families are forced into urgent decisions in emergency rooms without knowing their loved one’s wishes. Advance directives, healthcare proxies, and serious‑illness planning are not morbid tasks; they are acts of care that reduce anguish and allow people to live more fully in the time they have.
And there is still more to do. Choice is meaningful only when real alternatives exist. Governments at every level must invest in home‑ and community‑based services, strengthen long‑term care, and ensure hospice and palliative care systems are equitable, high quality, and accountable.
The law is a milestone, not the destination. The people who fought for this right understood that autonomy at the end of life should be embedded in care. Our mission is to transform the healthcare system into one that is worthy of that trust — one where talking about death is not taboo, caregivers are supported, hospice is strong and accessible, and every person facing terminal illness knows their voice still matters.
Because of the limits of a short legislative session, a medical aid-in-dying bill was not introduced for 2026. Instead, the Connecticut team is strategizing for a stronger path in 2027. Volunteers are leading statewide outreach through events like film screenings, death doula–guided conversations, and other community events, helping to create open, human conversations in ways that reflect each community’s needs. Inside the Capitol, the team has continued building and maintaining steady relationships with lawmakers as they work toward securing a future public hearing. Further, a recent well-attended press conference and lobby day with advocates and lawmakers shows strong public support. All of this important work prioritizes engaging candidates and deepening local connections, thereby building the momentum needed for meaningful progress in the 2027 legislative session.
The Delaware team is focused on supporting and guiding the Delaware End-of-Life Options Act through its first year. The Department of Health and Social Services published the law’s final regulations and written request form in March, a critical step in the process. We serve as a medical aid-in-dying resource, fielding questions from legislators, community organizations, and care institutions and leading educational efforts with programming centering both healthcare professionals and the general public. Compassion Legal continues to defend the End-of-Life Options Act from a lawsuit, Curran v. Meyer, filed by the anti-medical-aid-in-dying group Institute for Patients’ Rights. In April, we filed an amicus brief in their appeal of their lawsuit’s dismissal on behalf of Delaware advocates Susan Boyce and Vicki George and Compassion & Choices Action Network.
Team Florida continues to lead an impressive Finish Strong educational campaign throughout the state, conducting presentations at continuing care retirement communities and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association events, presenting at conferences alongside local and state partners, and sharing countless advance care planning resources via social media and supporter newsletters. The team looks forward to two upcoming conferences, LeadingAge Southeast and Florida Council on Aging, where they present these materials to hundreds of attendees. Team Florida closely monitored HB 369/SB 312 throughout the 2026 legislative session. Although these bills — which would have played a critical role in advancing patient-directed medical orders in Florida — did not move forward, our continued commitment to statewide education on advance care planning will support the success of similar efforts in the future.
In Illinois, the team is leveraging our organization’s decades-long, nationwide experience with medical aid in dying to ensure that we are ready to support the state, medical community, and general public once “Deb’s Law” takes effect in September. We are working across departments to develop key materials, including fact sheets and informational packets, and planning educational events for a variety of audiences. At the same time, we are keeping the cause in the media: to coincide with Women’s History Month in March, we commissioned a story with Public News Service recognizing Suzy Flack’s and Deborah Robertson’s roles in getting Deb’s Law across the finish line. The story quoted Callie Riley, regional advocacy director, and reached an estimated audience of 231,000 listeners across the state.
The Maryland Compassion & Choices 2026 Education and Awareness Campaign is a targeted statewide initiative designed to build momentum ahead of the 2027 legislative session. Although the medical aid-in-dying bill will not be introduced in 2026, the Ask the Candidate Campaign will engage voters and hold candidates accountable for their positions. By concentrating resources in priority areas, the campaign ensures the medical aid-in-dying issue remains visible, relevant, and urgent among constituents and policymakers. Through strategic outreach and community engagement, the campaign aims to strengthen public understanding, expand grassroots support, and prepare advocates for effective action when the legislation is reintroduced.
In a March public forum, the Senate president said she needed to hear from her members that they want to vote on the End of Life Options Act this year. Compassion & Choices Action Network is coordinating with our partners, legislative champions, and advocates across the state to weigh in with their senators and urge them to let the Senate president know they want to vote now! Additionally, the House members of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing requested a reporting deadline extension of our bill. They now have until June 15 to take action. We continue to reach out to the House members of the committee, urging them to move the bill forward.
Dedicated advocates have kept the Minnesota End-of-Life Options Act in the state and national spotlight in 2026. The Star Tribune published advocate Tom Albin’s commentary about his desire to have the option of medical aid in dying in his home state of Minnesota as his ALS progresses. The story was picked up by People within 24 hours. The Minnesota Reformer published retired hospice chaplain Reverend Ed Holland’s commentary about how the option of medical aid in dying can affirm one’s faith, timed to coincide with the season of Lent. He writes: “At the end of life, the most faithful response is one rooted in love: supporting the dying, surrounding them with compassion, and trusting them to make the deeply personal decisions that define their final days.”
As we shared in the Winter Magazine, we had incredible momentum and energy going into the Virginia legislative session, which kicked off on January 14. Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Patrick Hope filed medical aid-in-dying legislation in the Senate and House, respectively. The week of January 26, advocates held a week of action, with hundreds of emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings taking place. A public hearing was held on February 3, and the bill was reported favorably out to the full Senate committee on Education and Health by a 3-2 vote. Unfortunately, individuals within the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) made a coordinated effort to change the position of MSV from "neutral" to "opposed" on medical aid in dying. Using scare tactics about the “slippery slope” and Canada’s experience with their medical assistance in dying law, they were able to sow enough seeds of doubt that two senators who had previously supported the bill voted no in committee. On February 5, the committee voted 7-8 against reporting the bill out favorably. This vote indicated to the House that the Senate wasn't going to move the bill any further, and on February 11 the House Courts of Justice Committee decided to table the bill until next session.
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