After more than a decade of advocacy, Compassion & Choices marks an important milestone in the effort to ensure that terminally ill New Yorkers have access to medical aid in dying. New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (A136/S138), sponsored by Assemblymember Amy Paulin and Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, was passed by the Assembly in a historic 81-67 vote on April 29, 2025; and passed the Senate 35-27 on June 9.
On December 17, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she will sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act following passage of agreed-upon amendments in early 2026. Assemblymember Paulin and Senator Hoylman-Sigal worked closely with the Governor, advocates, and policymakers to reach this agreement.
The Governor is invoking a legislative mechanism that allows up to 30 days to sign legislation after it is transmitted to her desk, which will likely happen sometime after December 21. When the Legislature passes the amended bill, it is expected to be signed in early 2026.
Send a note of gratitude of your own to your elected officials, Assemblymember Paulin, Senator Hoylman-Sigal, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
A new survey shows that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support medical aid in dying by a 72-23% margin. You can read about it here.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement today, that she intends to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.136/S.138) – subject to chapter amendments – next month, will make New York the 14th U.S. jurisdiction to authorize this compassionate end-of-life option.
I am so glad that terminally ill people in Illinois will now have the option of medical aid in dying thanks to Governor Pritzker and the Illinois legislature doing the right thing for the people of their state.
As part of the event, 2,500 candles were placed throughout Chase Park to symbolize the number of New Yorkers who die of cancer each month.
When Annie lost her husband of 25 years to ALS in 2020, she couldn’t have imagined she’d soon face the same diagnosis. Now, her journey has ignited a powerful commitment—to embrace her new reality with purpose and joy and to fight for Medical Aid in Dying for all New Yorkers.
Stacey Gibson of Garrison, in New York’s Hudson Valley, joined the end-of-life options movement in 2015 after her husband, Sid, died a horrible death after he stopped eating and drinking in the final stages of a debilitating progressive neurological disease. Among the vanguard of New York’s volunteers for the entire decade-long legislative campaign, Stacey shared…
La Gobernadora Hochul tiene la oportunidad de hacer lo correcto considerando los méritos obtenidos que también coinciden con la postura de la mayoría de los votantes neoyorquinos. Hay que Ganar, Ganar
“Gov. Hochul has the opportunity to do the right thing on the merits, which also happens to be the position of the majority of New York voters. Win, win.”
By Corinne Carey, New York Campaign Senior Director A June 14 column by Ross Douthat in The New York Times, “Why the Euthanasia Slope Is Slippery,” is built on a mistaken idea. Because it gathered a fair amount of attention, I want to explain why his argument just doesn’t hold up. Douthat argued that “you…
Our team is working around the clock to show her why New Yorkers need this compassionate option. We won’t stop until we make New York the 13th jurisdiction to authorize medical aid in dying.
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