New York Senate’s majority leader plans to bring an assisted suicide bill to the floor, marking the clearest sign yet that the long-stalled legislation could face a vote.
“If I get the support, I’ll certainly bring it to the floor,” Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said this week, noting that 25 other Democrats had already signed on the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
Her announcement came just two weeks after the state Assembly passed the bill for the first time, 81-67, with about 20 Democrats voting no.
For the legislation to become law, it must clear the Senate and receive Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
The bill would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to request lethal medication, based on approval from two physicians.
Critics say the proposal lacks basic safeguards — such as mandatory psychiatric evaluations, in-person exams or a system for retrieving unused drugs — raising fears about misdiagnosis and misuse.
Advocates with the pro-assisted dying group Compassion & Choices told Politico that support among Senate Democrats is quietly growing, even those unwilling to sign on as sponsors.
“[Ms. Stewart-Cousins] is engaged in a way this year that she’s never been before,” said campaign director Corinne Carey.
Still, Ms. Stewart-Cousins has made clear she won’t allow the bill to proceed until her party has the votes to pass it.
Opponents, including the New York State Catholic Conference and the Conservative Party, say the legislation threatens vulnerable communities.
“There are very, very serious concerns. This is not a religious issue,” Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State’s Catholic Conference told Politico. “We intend to keep highlighting why so many Democrats voted ‘no.’”
