The New York Medical Aid in Dying Act is in effect as of August 5, 2026, expanding end-of-life options for terminally ill New Yorkers and affirming their right to make informed, compassionate decisions at the end of life. This landmark achievement is the result of more than a decade of advocacy led by Compassion & Choices, alongside allied organizations and hundreds of New Yorkers who shared their stories, raised their voices, and urged lawmakers to act.
The New York State Department of Health released proposed regulations on June 3, 2026, providing guidance on how the law will be administered and establishing procedures for providers and healthcare organizations. Additionally, on July 27, 2026, the Department of Health published further guidance to their website, geared toward patients, families, and caregivers. For official information, visit the New York State Department of Health’s Medical Aid in Dying webpage.
You can see information about the regulations and the forthcoming guidance by visiting the Department’s website by clicking this link.
Send a note of gratitude of your own to your elected officials, Assemblymember Paulin, Senator Hoylman-Sigal, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Medical aid in dying is for people who are already dying. It is a lawful medical option for qualified adults with a terminal illness, a prognosis of six months or less to live, who can make their own healthcare decisions and have the ability to take the medication themselves.
Medical aid in dying is not suicide or euthanasia. Compassion & Choices supports people seeking information about lawful end-of-life care options in the United States. We do not provide instructions or guidance for ending your life outside supportive medical care.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, in crisis, or thinking about suicide, help is available right now. You are not alone, and your pain deserves care. Call 988, text 988, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at https://988lifeline.org/chat/
I don’t have a problem with the notion of death, because death is a part of life. It’s how we face it and the way we go through the dying process that makes a difference.
Neoyorquinos que perdieron a seres queridos, profesionales médicos, defensores y partidarios se unieron hoy en apoyo a Compassion & Choices para testificar ante el Comité de Salud de la Asamblea de Nueva York en la primera audiencia de la ciudad sobre la medida de Ayuda Médica para Morir (A.2383-a/S.3151-a). El proyecto de ley autorizaría la…
The Latino Commision on AIDS (LCOA) and the Hispanic Health Network (HHN) joined Compassion & Choices to announce their support for the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act. LCOA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community, and HHN works to eradicate health disparities in Latino communities….
La Comisión Latina sobre el SIDA y el Hispanic Health Network, anunció hoy que se unirá a Compassion and Choices en la campaña para que se autorice la Ley de Ayuda Médica Para Morir de Nueva York (S.3151/A.2383) lo más pronto posible. El proyecto de ley daría a los Neoyorquinos con enfermedades terminales, la opción de solicitar…
The Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Health Network announced today that they are joining Compassion & Choices in the campaign to pass New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (S.3151/A.2383) as quickly as possible. The bill would give terminally ill New Yorkers the option to request a doctor’s prescription for medication they can decide to…
This is a translated story. The original piece ran for El Diario. As leader of the Latino Commission on AIDS and founder of the Hispanic Health Network I see the horrors of too many Latino New Yorkers facing slow, painful deaths. Their pain is a reminder of my journey in 2005 – when I was diagnosed with malignant colon cancer….
Compassion & Choices kicked off the campaign to pass New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (S.3151/A.2383) in 2018 with a Capitol news conference today. The lead sponsors of the bill – Senator Diane Savino (IDC-Staten Island) and Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) – along with Assembly Health Committee Chairman Dick Gottfried (D-Manhattan) and other sponsors of the legislation…
Compassion & Choices New York today presented Governor Andrew Cuomo with petitions signatures from more than 7,500 New Yorkers in support of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.2383/S.3151) acquired during the New York State Fair. The petition reads, “I am a New Yorker who attended the Great New York State Fair and I believe that…
Janet Green of Upstate New York has made our issue her issue. Her first husband, Bob’s, injuries from an accident left him in a vegetative state for 12 years, seven of which she cared for him at home. But it was her partner, Harry’s, painful ordeal with bone cancer in 2016 on top of the…
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