Medical aid in dying is now authorized in New York. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on February 6, 2026. The law will take effect on 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. Together, they helped build the understanding and momentum necessary to pass this long-awaited legislation.
Compassion & Choices extends deep gratitude to Governor Hochul for signing the bill into law, and to the legislative champions who made this moment possible: Assemblymember Amy Paulin, who carried the bill from its original introduction in 2015 through enactment; Senator Diane Savino, who advanced the legislation during key years; Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who shepherded it through passage in both chambers; and Senator Gustavo Rivera, who sponsored the bill at the finish line.
Additional information about implementation, guidance, and access will be posted as it becomes available. Please check back on this page for updates, and visit our events page for information about upcoming educational and community events.
Send a note of gratitude of your own to your elected officials, Assemblymember Paulin, Senator Hoylman-Sigal, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Compassion & Choices today released a public service announcement in Spanish featuring Mexican actor Mauricio Ochmann urging Latinos to support the bipartisan Medical Aid in Dying Act that was reintroduced last month at the state Capitol. Ochmann, known as “Chema Venegas” in the popular Telemundo telenovelas El Chema and El Señor de los Cielos, recorded…
Savino & Paulin continúan como principales patrocinadores Aumenta el apoyo de diversas organizaciones gubernamentales Albany, NY – La oficina de Compassion & Choices en New York tomó hoy con beneplácito la reintroducción de la Ayuda Médica para Morir para 2017 (S.3151/A.2383), un proyecto de ley que le dará a los neoyorquinos la opción de tomar…
Compassion & Choices New York today welcomed the reintroduction of the Medical Aid in Dying Act for 2017 (S.3151/A.2383), a bill to give New Yorkers the option to make end-of-life healthcare decisions that are right for them in the final stages of a terminal illness. The bill’s prime sponsors continue to be Senator Diane Savino…
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed on Nov. 1-2, when families celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones by honoring them with beautiful gifts, colorful altars and visits to their graves, and embrace death as a part of the human experience in joyful festivity. Compassion & Choices’ Day…
To recognize Day of the Dead, on November 1 Compassion & Choices will honor the memory of deceased aid-in-dying supporters with a celebration in New York City including a candle lighting, procession and dance. “These brave advocates spent their last months of life advocating for laws to authorize medical aid in dying despite the horrors of…
We sent the following message to our New York City supporters this week: Friend, I’m writing to ask you to join us for one of our most important initiatives this year. In order to recruit more supporters in New York City, we’re launching a public transit signature campaign to raise awareness and answer questions about…
We sent the following message to our New York City supporters this week: Friend, I’d like to invite you to an event that Compassion & Choices is co-hosting with Fordham University’s Department of Sociology & Anthropology in New York City: a film screening of How to Die in Oregon, an award-winning documentary that offers a…
We sent the following message to our Long Island supporters this week: Friend, As you may know, Long Island’s Over 50 Fair will be held in Melville on Sunday. And Compassion & Choices will be there to recruit supporters and spread our message. Compassion & Choices National Board Member Samantha Sandler will present a workshop…
We sent the following message to our New York supporters last week: Friend, I’d like to invite you to an important event happening in Utica on November 3. The Resource Center for Independent Living, an organization that works to advance the civil rights of individuals with disabilities, will hold a conference on medical aid in…
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