(S.2445-A-Hoylman-Sigal/A.995-A-Paulin)
Under New York law, it is a crime to assist another person in making a suicide attempt. New York’s laws against assisted suicide have been upheld as constitutional in federal and state courts. Bill S.2445-A-Hoylman-Sigal/A.995-A-Paulin would create a carve-out in New York’s assisted suicide laws, making it legal for terminally-ill patients who are expected to die within six months to obtain lethal drugs by prescription. The current law protects vulnerable persons and should not be weakened. For the following reasons, the New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide urges strong opposition to this legislation.
New Yorkers with terminal illnesses need effective treatment, palliative care, and pain management—not lethal drugs.
