Advocacy Groups Pressure Hochul to Scrap the Medical Aid in Dying Act Legislation
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York is facing strong opposition from religious organizations and disability advocates who are urging her to veto the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
The Agudath Israel organization, representing New York’s Haredi Jewish community, has issued a public statement calling on Gov. Hochul to veto the law immediately. They view the passage of the bill as a "dark day" for New York and oppose physician-assisted suicide on moral grounds.
Disability advocates and other religious groups, including members of the Orthodox Jewish, African American Protestant, Muslim American, and Catholic communities, have actively voiced concerns against the bill. They emphasize the sanctity of life and ethical objections to physician-assisted suicide.
Opinion pieces and advocacy groups argue that the bill is disrespectful to disabled people and conflicts with suicide prevention goals championed by Gov. Hochul. A coalition urged her to veto A-136 (the Medical Aid in Dying Act) to maintain her record on suicide prevention and align with the American Medical Association’s opposition to physician-assisted suicide.
The bill, which would permit terminally ill people with less than six months to live to receive life-ending medication after a sign-off from two doctors, passed the New York Senate and Assembly with relatively narrow margins. However, Governor Hochul retains the power to veto it without risk of an override. These groups are actively pressing her to do so on moral, ethical, and social grounds.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer of the Orthodox Union warned of the "slippery slope" of legalizing medically-assisted death. The Orthodox Union, a large umbrella organization of Orthodox Jews, has expressed opposition to the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
The anti-abortion group Feminists Choosing Life has also lobbied against the Medical Aid in Dying Act. So far, the Center for Disability Rights' efforts have focused on specific Assembly Members and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
The New York State Catholic Conference, among the most vocal opponents of the bill, has retained the firm Stanhope Partners to lobby specifically against it. The Center for Disability Rights has spent time this year lobbying against the Medical Aid in Dying Act, and their efforts could shift to Gov. Hochul in the months to come. Agudath of Israel, another prominent opponent, has been actively involved in the fight against the bill.
However, the Orthodox Union has not been recorded as lobbying state officials on the bill this year.
Gov. Hochul is being pressured to act on the Medical Aid in Dying Act. The outcome of her decision could significantly impact the future of end-of-life care in New York.
- Governors policy-and-legislation decisions, such as vetoing or enacting the Medical Aid in Dying Act, carry great implications for mental-health, health-and-wellness, and therapies-and-treatments regarding end-of-life care in New York.
- Religious organizations, disability advocates, and various communities like the Orthodox Jewish, African American Protestant, Muslim American, and Catholic groups have expressed strong opposition to the Medical Aid in Dying Act, emphasizing ethical objections and the sanctity of life.
- Politics and general-news outlets have actively reported on the opposition to the Medical Aid in Dying Act, with organizations like Agudath Israel, The Orthodox Union, the New York State Catholic Conference, and Feminists Choosing Life lobbying against it.
