Overview
- Lawmakers plan to pass the amended Medical Aid in Dying Act in January, and the governor says it will take effect six months after signing to allow health officials to set rules and train providers.
- Eligibility is limited to mentally competent New York adults with a terminal prognosis of six months or less, with written and recorded oral requests, two witnesses, and confirmations by physicians.
- New guardrails include a five-day waiting period, a mandatory mental health evaluation, an in‑person initial physician assessment, a residency requirement, and bans on financially interested witnesses or interpreters.
- Religiously affiliated outpatient and home hospice providers may opt out of participation under the agreement, and violations will be treated as professional misconduct under state education law.
- If enacted, New York would become the 13th state to allow medical aid in dying, following a similar Illinois law signed this month.