On January 28, 2019 assisted suicide activists gathered at the State Capitol to kick off their 2019 campaign for doctor-prescribed death. Assisted suicide activists released polling—funded by their organization—that claims doctors are growing more acceptable to assisted suicide. However, it should be noted that the Medical Society of the State of New York maintains opposition to doctors prescribing pharmaceutical products that cause death to patients. The official position of MSSNY states, “Physicians should not perform euthanasia or participate in assisted suicide.”
Responding to suicide activists, Diane Coleman, President and CEO of the disability-rights organization, Not Dead Yet, said, “We live with a profit driven healthcare system facing tremendous cost-cutting pressures. Assisted suicide is the cheapest ‘treatment.’” Coleman continued, “These bills grant legal immunity to doctors and others who assist suicides of people who may have a terminal condition. They do not prevent mistakes, coercion or abuse and, therefore, endanger the lives of old, ill and disabled people.”
The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide is an alliance of disability rights, healthcare, civil rights, faith-based and patient advocacy organizations dedicated to preventing the legalization of assisted suicide in New York.
