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/
Lifelong New Yorker Brian Moffett, 66, who hopes to be the first person to use New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act because he is dying of ALS and wants to pass peacefully, was visited Monday by Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-Staten Island) and Assembly Member Amanda Septimo (D-Bronx) at a Manhattan rehab facility.
Corinne Carey, Compassion & Choices’ Senior Campaign Director for NY/NJ, and terminally ill Bronx resident Jules Netherland, issued the following statements in conjunction with their arrest Tuesday for civil disobedience (official charge is anticipated to be disorderly conduct) – and the arrest of nine other advocates in support of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act.
Let the Legislature debate and vote on the Medical Aid in Dying Act — as suggested by the New York Daily News — for what I am confident will be certain overwhelming, bipartisan passage.
Joining the Effort: LI Doctor Who Sponsored Resolution Resulting in the Medical Society of New York Supporting Medical Aid in Dying Supporting Organizations – League of Women Voters, Statewide Senior Action Network, Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts, NY Bar Assn. – Urge Passage The prime sponsors of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, Assembly…
Corinne Carey, Compassion & Choices’ Senior Campaign Director for New York and New Jersey, issued this statement following the decision Sunday by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) to reverse its longtime opposition to New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act and support passage of the bill. “This was a longtime conversion…
Two Physicians – Both Board-Certified in Hospice Care – Will Share First-Hand Experiences of Medical Aid in Dying in NJ and DC Assembly Member Reyes: “We have a chance to provide compassion. It is long overdue. Now is the time.” Dr. Paladine: “Let’s embrace this compassionate choice and provide terminally ill patients in our state with…
Corinne Carey, Compassion & Choices’ Senior Campaign Director for NY/NJ issued the following statement after the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates voted Friday to support passage of the Medical Aid in Dying Act. A copy of the Bar Association’s press release can be found here. “Compassion & Choices applauds the members of the New York…
Asambleísta Al Taylor: “Aprendan de mi experiencia. No esperen hasta que sean ustedes o sus padres, su cónyuge o un ser querido”. Rev. James Galasinski: “Mientras consolaba a un amigo y feligrés que estaba muriendo, ambos concluimos que la opción de ayuda médica para morir es un regalo amoroso y compasivo”. Nancy Murphy: “Mi hermana…
Advocates Urge NY Lawmakers to Pass Medical Aid in Dying Act When They Return in January Nearly six out of 10 registered New York State voters (58%) support “legislation that would allow a doctor to prescribe lethal drugs that a terminally ill patient with demonstrated decision-making capacity could take on their own in order to…
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