New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in an interview with Albany radio station WAMC today that the state legislature should pass medical aid-in-dying legislation. Below is the highlight of it.
“This is the first time Governor Cuomo has publicly spoken on this issue, so his statement of support should turbocharge lawmakers’ efforts to pass medical aid-in-dying legislation,” said Corinne Carey, New York and New Jersey campaign director for Compassion & Choices. “There’s no reason New Yorkers should not have the same option to peacefully end needless suffering this year that New Jerseyans will have in just a few months.”
On March 25, New York’s next door neighbor, New Jersey, passed a medical aid-in-dying bill after nearly seven years of debate on it and Governor Phil Murphy pledged to sign it into law, putting competitive pressure on New York lawmakers to pass its medical aid-in-dying legislation.
A Medscape survey of New York physicians, released on Jan. 28 when the bill was reintroduced, found that 56 percent of doctors support medical aid in dying. Their support increased to 67 percent when the surveyed physicians learned the details and provisions of the legislation.
A Quinnipiac University Poll last spring showed New York voters supported medical aid in dying by more than a 2-1 margin (63% vs. 29%). Majority support included virtually every demographic group measured in the survey, including party affiliation, race, religion, sex, region, education level and age group.
Finally, The New York Times, The [Albany] Times Union, Buffalo News, The [Middletown] Times Herald-Record, and [Oneonta] Daily Star have written editorials endorsing medical aid in dying since 2015. Below are excerpts of these editorial endorsements.
[Middletown, NY] Times Herald-Record, “Albany must debate right-to-die legislation,” April 17, 2019
“In states where this is not a theoretical argument, most notably Oregon which has the most experience, New York has a model to follow ensuring that those who choose to end their lives will not be influenced by others to make this decision…”
[Oneonta, NY] Daily Star, “Aid-in-dying bill should get state approval,” May 6, 2018
[Middletown, NY] Times Herald-Record, “Aid-in-dying legislation slowly gaining support,” April 24, 2018
[Middletown, NY] Times Herald-Record, “Ruling on aid-in-dying may hamper legislation,” September 11, 2017
Buffalo News, “Terminally ill should have access to help in ending their suffering,” June 1, 2017
[Albany, NY] Times Union, “Suffering’s silent treatment,” July 5, 2015
The New York Times, “Offering a Choice to the Terminally Ill,” March 14, 2015
You can listen to the interview of Governor Cuomo about medical aid in dying by clicking on the link below and listening to the portion between the 21:17 and 22:16 marks.
Compassion & Choices
Media Contacts
Michael Cavaiola
National Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
Phone: (480) 622 4427
Patricia A. González-Portillo
Senior National Latino Media Director
[email protected]
(323) 819 0310
Mail contributions directly to:
Compassion & Choices Gift Processing Center
PO Box 485
Etna, NH 03750