MAID Legislative Update

Updates on Medical Aid in Dying in New York

There are just a couple of weeks for the New York State Legislature to take action on the Medical Aid in Dying Act, A. 4321, S. 6471 before the legislative session ends June 2nd. There is growing momentum for this bill, and we are closer than we have ever been to getting this passed. We’ve been hard at work to move this bill forward, and these efforts are working. But we need your help and support.

What We’ve Been Doing

• We have had numerous meetings with state senators and assembly members. Some have become new sponsors of the bill, some have become new supporters, and all have expressed appreciation for the information and perspective we shared.

• We have met with fellow members of the New York Alliance for Medical Aid in Dying and other advocates to strategize and support each other.

• We have also continued to serve as a reference and resource for professionals and the general public who wish to learn more about medical aid in dying. We have given talks at local universities and spoken with journalists. We have videos about MAID on our YouTube page and articles featured in our Medium blog series. 

• Our Senior Policy Consultant, David Leven, frequently publishes articles regarding medical aid in dying for newspapers, websites, and other media. Recent articles have been featured in the Syracuse Post Standard and the NYSBA Health Law Journal.  

How You Can Help

There are several important actions you can take to support this bill, including:

• Contacting your legislators, and members of the senate and assembly health committees, to voice your support of the bill. You can find their information, and example language here.

• Share information on social media, and share/like posts from us (click the social media icons at the end of this email), Compassion & Choices, Death with Dignity, and other advocacy groups

• Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors to raise awareness about the bill and why it is important

• Our friends at Compassion & Choices have also complied a very helpful list of actions you can take, and we encourage you to read it here

Our efforts do not stop, even after the legislative session ends. Please consider donating today to support our advocacy work.