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/
The New York Court of Appeals’ rejection of a lawsuit asserting that terminally ill adults have a constitutional right to medical aid in dying puts the onus on the state legislature to enact a law to authorize this popular option to end unbearable suffering. “While we were supportive of the plaintiffs in this case, now we urge…
Compassion & Choices New York campaign director Corinne Carey today applauded the New York State Academy of Family Physicians and its Congress of Delegates for voting overwhelmingly to support the New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (S3151/A2383), sponsored by Senator Diane Savino (IDC-Staten Island) and Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester). Prior to this vote, the NYSAFP…
Compassion & Choices has filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit asserting that New York laws against aiding or causing someone else’s death do not apply to physicians who provide medical aid in dying to suffering terminally ill adults who request it. The New York State Court of Appeals is considering hearing the case, Myers…
Compassion & Choices called on the New York State Legislature to do what the public wants and pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act (S.3151/A.2383). Legislators and advocates supporting medical aid in dying were joined at a Capitol news conference today by several people from across the state who have been deeply and personally affected…
Compassion & Choices New York today released a video featuring Jay Kallio, a 9/11 first responder who passed away on September 30, 2016 from lung cancer without being able to access medical aid in dying, legislation he passionately advocated for even prior to his own diagnosis. The poignant video tells the story of 60-year-old Jay,…
Compassion & Choices New York campaign director Corinne Carey today lauded the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) House of Delegates decision to authorize a survey of physicians, medical residents and medical students. “On behalf of the millions of New Yorkers who support making medical aid in dying in New York legal,…
The evidence is on our side. So are the polls. But New York lawmakers won’t authorize medical aid in dying unless they hear from you — their constituents. You can help make medical aid in dying a reality for New Yorkers by talking to those who represent you in the state legislature by Calling them…
Love, Compassion, and Faith. That was the theme of Compassion & Choices New York’s first-ever faith gathering held outside of the Senate Lobby at the New York State Capitol Building in Albany on Valentine’s Day. Religious leaders of different faiths spoke of ministering to dying New Yorkers, and what faith and experience have taught them…
Religious leaders from several faith traditions gathered today at the Capitol to hold a first-ever New York faith gathering to urge passage of the Medical Aid in Dying Act (S.3151/A.2383), which would provide terminally ill, mentally competent adult New Yorkers with the legal right to request a prescription to bring about a peaceful death. The…
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