Some New York lawmakers and advocates are calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the “Medical Aid In Dying” bill, also known as MAID. Some call it “physician-assisted suicide.”

The bill would legalize giving terminally ill adult patients who have six months or less to live the option to have a doctor prescribe them a mixture of a lethal medication. The patient must put their request for the medication in writing, signed by two witnesses. Proxies cannot request the procedure.

It was passed by the New York State Legislature in June, and it’s already legal in Washington, D.C., and 11 states, including New Jersey.

“I fear suffering. I fear being in pain.”

The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who said her sister died in hospice years ago.

“They couldn’t relieve her pain,” she said. “Often she would scream ‘when am I going to die already?”

It also has the support of others who have firsthand experience with serious illnesses.

Dr. Jeremy Boal, a Columbia County resident, has ALS and has become partially paralyzed since leaving his job two years ago.

“I know I’m going to die from my illness. That’s not something I can change, but [MAID] gives me a sense of control, should I reach a point where my suffering is unbearable,” he said.

Hartsdale resident Eileen Kaufman said she’s in remission from ovarian cancer, but the battle forced her to think about the end of her life. She also wants the option for MAID.

“I fear suffering. I fear being in pain,” she said.

Mandi Zucker, a former hospice social worker, is the director of End of Life Choices New York, a nonprofit that’s been pushing for MAID for a decade.

“We hear from people who are looking to travel all around the country and even out of the country so that they can access this option, which means they can’t die in their own home in their own bed, surrounded by their own family,” she said.

Opponents question legislation

In a heated debate in April, assemblymembers in opposition pushed for the state to first address inequitable access to hospice care and other issues.

“I am concerned. What happens when a person says, ‘I don’t want to take this drug anymore’? And people do it all the time. Is there a safe way to dispose it?” Assemblywoman Latrice Walker said.

Paulin disagrees and says the Department of Health would determine how the drugs are disposed safely.

The New York State Catholic Conference (NYSCC) is also critical of the bill, citing patients who request the medication do not have to undergo a mental health evaluation unless a doctor requests it.

“This bill is probably the most permissive assisted suicide legislation in the country … There’s so many holes in this bill that I think it would be ripe for abuse,” said Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the NYSCC.

The governor’s office said Thursday she will review the legislation.

Back in September, Hochul was asked if she had moral qualms about the bill. She said she is able to separate her personal beliefs from what is right for New Yorkers, and it’s a “weighty decision” with passion on both sides, but she’s confident she’ll come to the right decision before the end of the year.