The New York Medical Aid in Dying Act (A4321a/S6741)

Good Policy for New York

Kim Callinan
Chief Executive Officer
Compassion & Choices
(202) 818-8266 direct
(202) 441-0089 mobile
[email protected]

Corinne Carey
New York Senior Campaign Director
Compassion & Choices
(518) 898-8240 direct
[email protected]

Table of Contents

About Compassion & Choices

• Our Mission. Our Work.
• Annual Report, 2020 

About Medical Aid in Dying 

• What is Medical Aid in Dying and Where is it Authorized?
• Medical Aid in Dying: A Policy to Improve Care and Expand Options at End of Life
• Elections & Medical Aid in Dying, An Issue Worth Supporting 

New York Legislation

• The New York Medical Aid in Dying Act: A4321a/S6471 
• New York Medical Aid in Dying Act Safeguards 
• Assembly & Senate Bill Sponsors
• Organizations Across New York Support Medical Aid in Dying 
• New York Assembly Hearings 

Polling Data

• [2021] Marist Poll Shows Support for Medical Aid in Dying in New York 
• New York Physician Survey Overview 
• 2018 Medscape/WebMD Survey of New York Physicians
• Gallup Poll Social Survey, May 2020 (see question 15)
• LifeWay Poll Showing Support Across the Political and Christian Religious Spectrums 

Compassion & Choices New York Campaign

• 60 Reasons to Pass New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act 
• Compassion & Choices at the New York State Fair

What We Know From States that Have Authorized Medical Aid in Dying  

• Summary of State Data Regarding Utilization of Medical Aid in Dying Laws with Data Available Through February 21, 2021
• Los Angeles Times, “There’s an unforeseen benefit to California’s physician-assisted death law,” Aug. 21, 2017  
• Philadelphia Inquirer, “Just 33 used New Jersey’s medical-aid-in-dying law last year. Pandemic health access could be one reason,” May 20, 2021
• New Jersey Star-Ledger Editorial Board, “For 33 New Jersey families, death with dignity, at last,” May 18, 2021
• NorthJersey.com, “Catholic lawmakers support assisted suicide despite faith,” Dec. 16, 2016
• San Francisco Chronicle, “California shortens wait for terminally ill patients to access assisted death,” Oct. 5, 2021

Governors’ Signing Statements from States that Authorize Medical Aid in Dying

• California Governor Jerry Brown, Signing Statement, CA End of Life Option Act, 2015
• New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Signing Statement, NJ Medical Aid in Dying . for the Terminally Ill Act, 2019
• New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Signing Statement, NM End of Life Options Act, 2021

Selected Articles, Editorials, Columns, Op-eds and Letters to the Editor  from New York 

• Summary of New York Newspaper Editorials 
• Empire Report: On His Deathbed, A Doctor Asks Legislature to Pass Medical Aid in Dying Act, by Robert Milch, MD, FACS, June 10, 2021
• Syracuse.com, “Medical aid in dying gave my brother a peaceful death. NY’ers should have the option (Commentary),” Dec. 19, 2019
• Buffalo News, “Another Voice: Medical Aid in Dying Act will reduce suffering,” Nov. 22, 2019
• The Patch, Doctors Urge Passage of Stalled NY Aid-in-Dying Bill, May 22, 2021
• Syracuse.com, “5 truths about New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act,” March 27, 2019
• The Buffalo News, “The final message from Bernadette Hoppe, who advocated for ‘medical aid in dying’,” March 22, 2019
• The New Yorker, “Barbara Hammer’s Exit Interview,” Feb. 24, 2019
• New York Daily News, “Just let me die in peace: A terminal cancer patient’s plea to New York state’s Legislature and governor,” Feb. 18, 2019
• New York Daily News, “NYPD Capt. Douglas Greenwood deserved a better way to die,” May 11, 2018
• New York Daily News, “9/11 hero who died of cancer wanted New York State lawmakers to legalize assisted suicide,” April 25, 2017

Selected National Articles, Editorials, Columns, Op-eds and Letters to the Editor 

• The North Andover, Mass. Eagle-Tribune, “Massachusetts lawmakers to consider legalizing medical assistance in dying,” Oct. 2, 2021 (via Yahoo News)
• USA Today oped by Compassion & Choices President/CEO Kim Callinan, “Terminal patients deserve death with dignity. New Mexico aid-in-dying law sets standard,” Sept. 18, 2021
• Medscape, “’Groundbreaking’ Law Erases Some Barriers to Medical Aid to Dying,” July 16, 2021
• Kaiser Health News, “Getting a Prescription to Die Remains Tricky Even as Aid-in-Dying Bills Gain Momentum,” March 30, 2021
• Connecticut Mirror oped by Jeff Gardere, Ph.D.: “Psychologist: Why suicide and medical aid in dying are truly different,” March 15, 2021
• The Los Angeles Times, “Editorial: It’s cruel to force dying people through bureaucratic hoops to end their pain,” March 3, 2021
• Boston Globe editorial, “Massachusetts’ terminally ill patients should have access to medical aid-in-dying,” Dec. 6, 2020
• The Washington Post, “Editorial: Maryland must at last allow dying people to avoid unnecessary suffering,” March 8, 2020
• San Francisco Chronicle, “Brittany Maynard’s profound legacy on end-of-life options,” Nov. 1, 2019
• The New York Times, “Aid in Dying Soon Will be Available to More Americans. Few Will Choose It,” July 8, 2019
• USA Today Opinion, “I’m dying from cancer. I have to move across the country to die on my own terms,” June 7, 2019
• The Washington Post, “She fought cancer and Congress for D.C.’s right-to-die law. Would she be able to use it?” Dec. 25, 2018