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By Sam Stevenson

Associate News Editor

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New York is poised to become the largest U.S. state to authorize assisted dying.

Pro-medical aid in dying (MAID) group Death with Dignity’s Chief Marketing Officer, Elaine Fong, whose mother used Washington State’s Death with Dignity law in 2016, attended Wednesday's announcement in New York.

"This has been a long, often painful journey, but Death with Dignity has fought alongside patients and families every step of the way," Fong told Newsweek in an emailed statement. "New York State is ready for this law. Today, we honor the terminally ill New Yorkers and loved ones who advocated for themselves, and for the dignity and peace of those who will face this journey in the future."

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Newsweek has reached out to Not Dead Yet, a group that opposes the measure, via an online contact form for comment.

Why It Matters

This legislative milestone follows nearly a decade of passionate debate between advocates for bodily autonomy and opponents who cite sanctity of life concerns.

It is expected to have significant implications for end-of-life rights, palliative care debates, and medical practice standards across the nation.

What To Know

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that her office had reached an agreement with state legislative leaders to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act.

This milestone comes more than a decade after the first MAID bill was introduced in New York.

The law, expected to be signed in January and take effect six months later, will allow terminally ill New Yorkers with six months or less to live to request life-ending medication from their doctors.

It will align New York with twelve other states and the District of Columbia, which have enacted similar measures.

The legislation incorporates the following safeguards:

• A five-day mandatory waiting period between when a prescription is written and filled.
• A requirement that patients make an oral request recorded by video or audio.
• Mandatory mental health evaluations by a psychologist or psychiatrist to ensure decision-making capacity.
• Prohibitions on financial beneficiaries acting as witnesses or interpreters.
• Limiting eligibility to New York residents and requiring in-person initial evaluations by physicians.
• Religiously affiliated providers may opt out, and violations will be deemed professional misconduct.

What People Are Saying

Death with Dignity’s Chief Marketing Officer, Elaine Fong, said: "Death with Dignity gives people the ability to make deeply personal decisions about how they want to die, guided by love for themselves and the people they leave behind."

Governor Kathy Hochul said: "New York has long been a beacon of freedom, and now it is time we extend that freedom to terminally ill New Yorkers who want the right to die comfortably and on their own terms. My mother died of ALS, and I am all too familiar with the pain of seeing someone you love suffer and being powerless to stop it. Although this was an incredibly difficult decision, I ultimately determined that with the additional guardrails agreed upon with the legislature, this bill would allow New Yorkers to suffer less–to shorten not their lives, but their deaths."

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said: "This agreement on Medical Aid in Dying is a monumental victory for every New Yorker who has wished to peacefully end their suffering from a terminal illness. Since we first introduced this legislation nine years ago, I have consistently said this bill is not about ending life, it's about shortening death. I’m proud that New York is now the 13th state, along with Washington, D.C., that will offer expanded end-of-life care so that terminally ill New Yorkers gain greater autonomy over how much pain and suffering they must endure."

Assemblymember Amy Paulin said: "This is truly historic for New York. Today’s announcement from Governor Hochul that she will be signing the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law gives countless New Yorkers the autonomy and dignity they deserve at the most vulnerable moment in their lives, and I am profoundly grateful for her leadership. This issue has always been deeply personal for me. My sister died a horrific death from ovarian cancer, and in her final days she was in pain so overwhelming that she begged for death. Her experience is, tragically, the story of so many others."

Senior Campaign Director for Compassion & Choices NY/NJ Corinne Carey said: "This law will represent the culmination of more than 10 years of determined, consistent effort by hundreds, no, thousands, of New Yorkers who advocated for this law. I’ve had and continue to have the honor of walking alongside New Yorkers who faced terminal diagnoses with bravery and love—people who opened their homes, their hearts, and often their final months to this movement."

Executive Director of EOLCNY Mandi Zucker said: "The bill would not have been passed by the state legislature without the hard work and dedication of the lead sponsors of the bill, Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal, and Assemblymember Amy Paulin. But the work cannot stop now. We need to engage in a massive educational effort for physicians, attorneys, nurses, pharmacists, doulas, and so many other professionals who will be immediately impacted by this new law, as well as the general public."

The New York State Catholic Conference said: "We are extraordinarily troubled by Governor Hochul's announcement that she will sign the egregious bill passed by the Legislature earlier this year sanctioning physician-assisted suicide in New York State. This new law signals our government's abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders.

“Tragically, this new law will seriously undermine all of the anti-suicide and mental health care investments Governor Hochul has made through her tenure. How can any society have credibility to tell young people or people with depression that suicide is never the answer, while at the same time telling elderly and sick people that it is a compassionate choice to be celebrated?"

The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide said: "Even with changes, this legislation would still single out disabled and terminally ill New Yorkers for radically different treatment than other individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. It would still transform physicians into facilitators of suicide. It would still undermine medical transparency by requiring false reporting on death certificates."

What Happens Next

The bill is set to be signed into law by Governor Hochul in January 2026, becoming effective six months later. During that period, the Department of Health will draw up regulations, and healthcare providers will undertake training to comply with the new requirements.

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