New York’s state senate passed legislation that would make it the twelfth state to legalize assisted dying, but with some of the loosest safeguards in the country.
Lawmakers passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act by a vote of 35–27 on Monday, with six Democrats voting with the entire Republican minority against the bill. The legislation passed the state assembly in April, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s office told The Free Press that she “will review the legislation.”
Dr. Jeremy Boal, 57, a geriatrician from Craryville, New York, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an average life expectancy of two to five years, was in the senate chamber in Albany when the vote result was announced. “Knowing this is possible will further free me from fear and dread and will allow me to focus on living my very best life during my remaining life,” he said.