Meet Our Lobbyist: Join the Virtual Town Hall!

Live How You Like, Leave How You Like

Thank you to everyone who has shown up in Albany over the past few weeks. I have frequently said that my favorite part of this job is meeting so many wonderful people. I sit behind a computer screen most days, and when I get a chance to be with caring, passionate people who are working so hard alongside us to pass this bill, I truly feel invigorated and so incredibly grateful that I was asked to lead this organization.

I will share more below about what’s happening with medical aid in dying, but I wanted to share a few stories that exemplify who all of you are. I won’t call anyone out by name since I didn’t get permission but one of our incredible supporters invited me to stay with her at her beautiful home in Albany when I was there last week. Not only did this save the organization money (the hotels in Albany during the legislative session are ridiculously expensive!) but we had such a lovely dinner together. It was such a pleasure for me. The next day, another supporter who wasn’t able to be with us to lobby in the capitol building took me out to lunch. There are some quaint little restaurants in Albany and she showed me around town a bit and made sure I was well fed before heading back to walk the halls and speak to our representatives. Another supporter donated money to help pay for transportation costs to get to Albany (if you would like to go to Albany but the train ride is cost prohibitive for you, please let me know! We do have funds to get you there!).

All of this just goes to show how we are all in this together, and we here at EOLCNY feel it. This work is a marathon for sure, and as someone who doesn’t like to run, I appreciate you all so much. All of this support, in whatever way you are doing it, keeps us all going and we can’t thank you enough.

Mandi Zucker, LSW
Executive Director

Recent Events & Updates

Join us in June for our Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars for June 5th for our in-person Annual Meeting. We will be recapping our successes over the past year, sharing our bold strategic plan for the future and filling you in on ways you can be part of this mission. We will also be unveiling a few surprises and I can’t wait to share them with you! The meeting will take place in Manhattan but we will have an online option as well. More details to follow but we’d love to see you if you can make it in person! There is so much to celebrate and we can’t wait to do it with you!

May Meet-n-Greet

With so much interest in our mission and advocacy efforts, now is a great time to join us at a Meet-n-Greet. This is your opportunity to join us virtually to introduce yourself, hear what we are up to and learn how you can get involved in our work. It a very good use of an hour of your time, and we hope to see you there! Learn more.

Salute to Seniors

Salute to Seniors Senior Consultant David Leven and Board Member Karyn Schorr spent the day in Westchester, along with volunteer Jill Greenbaum (not pictured), meeting with seniors answering questions about advance care planning, end of life options and legislative progress. If you would like to volunteer to table events like this, or know of events in your neighborhood that we should attend, please let us know. Even if they have passed, we would love to add them to our list for next year so let us know about community health fairs in your area! Reach out to us at info@eolcny.org.

Medical Aid in Dying Campaign Update and Registration to Meet Our Lobbyist

With Assembly passage of the Medical Aid in Dying bill now secured, our focus shifts to the Senate. This week Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said she will move the bill once her conference amasses enough support for a floor vote. She said, “I’m happy that the conversation is starting around death and dying. I don’t think that our culture was one that really embraced that conversation. Certainly more people have signed on in the Senate than had been over the past few years, and if I get the support, I’ll certainly bring it to the floor.”

There are 25 Senators sponsoring the bill, and we need 32 votes to pass it. Unfortunately, Assembly passage has revved up our oppostion, with the Catholic Church and the state Conservative Party pressing Senators to oppose MAID. You may have seen several articles in local and national press pushing the narrative that medical aid in dying is suicide, or that this law would allow for abuse or coercion of people with disabilities. As such, it is vitally important that we put strong pressure on every Senate Democrat to vote in favor of MAID.

Ask Us Anything

Q: What kind of press is medical aid in dying getting?

A: The short answer is a lot! And if you subscribe to the idea that no press is bad press, than we are doing well! But if you think that bad press is bad press, we are getting too much of it. Here is a relatively neutral article explaining what’s happening. If you read something with misinformation, please forward it to me so we can respond. Or respond yourself – more voices in this space are better!

If you have a question you’d like answered in our next newsletter, send it here!