November 29 2024: The British House of Commons approved an end-of-life bill for England and Wales on its second reading, 330–275. The bill still needs to pass through committees and other steps to achieve final approval. Interestingly, the bill was submitted as a private members bill, not by a government minister. Only by good luck in a random drawing was it chosen to receive a full debate and vote.

Two key features of the bill make it similar to medical-aid-in-dying laws in the U.S. — and different from related laws in Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands. These are: (1) to be eligible, a patient must be expected to die within six months, and (2) the patient must self-administer the provided substance. However, the procedure is more complicated than in the U.S., with every case required to be reviewed by a judge.

Especially interesting is how the assistance is to be provided under the law. Rather than being based on medication only, there will be a list of “approved substances” that may be used. The list, which is to be specified by government regulations, may include “drugs and other substances”.

The law requires a doctor to be present during the assisted death. The doctor may “prepare a medical device which will enable that person to self-administer the substance” and may “assist that person to ingest or otherwise self-administer the substance”.

The law is clear that ingestion is not the only possible method of self-administering the substance. Thus, intravenous self-administration of a lethal drug (which is an established practice in Switzerland) seems to be well within the vision of the law. Other methods that exist or may be developed may also be available.

May 7, 2024: More than 65 advocates from around the state came to Albany for the Spring Lobby Day organized by Compassion & Choices NY. In the morning the theme was “engage with everyone”. Some advocates rode the elevators in the Legislative Office Building and spoke with a captive audience about medical aid in dying. Others lined the tunnel hallway between the LOB and the Capitol and did the same.

In the afternoon a press conference was held outside the Senate lobby. The main speakers were Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (the number 2 sponsor in the Senate), Dr. Ronald Menzin (who led the Medical Society of the State of New York to formally support the bill), and Assemblymember Amy Paulin (the prime sponsor in the Assembly.)

Also speaking were legislators who are cosponsoring the bill and leaders from New York UU Justice, Planned Parenthood, the League of Women Voters, and End of Life Choices New York.

At the end of the day, the Governor’s health policy team sat down with four doctors and six advocates in the Governor’s reception hall. The doctors presented the supporting case for the bill, and the Governor’s team asked questions.

(Special thanks to Todd Cross, volunteer photographer, for photos on this day.)

The final day for the legislative session is scheduled for June 7, and advocates and supporters will be busy until the bill passes.

January 16, 2024: Kicking off the 2024 campaign to enact the Medical Aid in Dying Act, supporters from around the state gathered today in Albany to participate in a press conference and lobby day. At the press conference, which was led by Corinne Carey of Compassion & Choices NY, the bill sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Amy Paulin said they were making passage of the Medical Aid in Dying Act in 2024 their top legislative priority.

Senator Hoylman-Sigal displayed the new report of a NY Bar Association task force that recommends that the Association support the bill. In addition, 11 other legislative cosponsors of the bill spoke strongly in its favor, as did a number of advocates from around the state.

Before and after the press conference, advocates broke into groups and visited more than 20 legislators’ offices to seek their support for the bill. In the morning, Senator Sean Ryan (Buffalo area) agreed to become a cosponsor. Later, a group of Albany-area advocates went to Senator Breslin’s office and spoke with his chief of staff. [Update: Senator Breslin became a sponsor of the bill one week later. Thank you Senator!]

Because the Governor unveiled the state budget in the Capitol the same morning, press coverage of our press conference was thin.

• A video of the press conference is on the C&C NY Facebook site HERE .
• A news report on Medical Aid in Dying featuring an interview with supporter Nancy Murphy was broadcast by WWNY Watertown.
• A news report with video was broadcast by NEWS10 Albany.