Overview

• The State Senate approved the Medical Aid in Dying Act 35–27 on June 9 following an April Assembly vote of 81–67 and no Republican support in the upper chamber
• Eligible adults must have a medically confirmed terminal illness with a six-month prognosis certified by two physicians
• Patients must submit a written request witnessed by two independent adults who are neither family members nor potential inheritors to ensure voluntariness
• Critics warn the law lacks a mandatory waiting period and does not require routine mental health screenings, raising concerns about oversight and vulnerable groups
• If signed within ten days, Governor Hochul will make New York the 12th U.S. jurisdiction to permit medical aid in dying