ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday she has reached a deal with state legislative leaders to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill New York residents. The agreement — praised by supporters as an end-of-life option and condemned by opponents as a dangerous shift for vulnerable people — adds a resident-only limit and tighter safeguards meant to curb coercion, Dec. 17, 2025.
Hochul plans to sign an amended version early next year after lawmakers vote to add the negotiated changes, according to an Associated Press report on the agreement. The law would take effect six months after signing, giving health officials time to draft rules and providers time to prepare.
The proposal — the Medical Aid in Dying Act in the state Senate and the companion Assembly version, A136 — would allow a mentally capable adult with a terminal diagnosis and a prognosis of six months or less to request a prescription for medication the patient would self-administer.
Medical aid in dying: what the New York deal would do
Hochul’s office said the revised plan layers in new “guardrails,” including a five-day waiting period between when a prescription is written and when it can be filled, mandatory mental health evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist, and an audio or video recording of the patient’s oral request, according to the governor’s announcement of the agreement. The deal also bars anyone who could benefit financially from a patient’s death from serving as a witness or interpreter and requires an in-person initial evaluation by a physician.
Hochul, who has said her mother died of ALS, described the decision as one of the hardest she has made as governor. “Who am I to deny you or your loved one what they’re begging for at the end of their life?” she said. Supporters argue the measure gives dying patients more control and peace of mind; opponents, including Catholic leaders and some disability-rights advocates, warn it could create pressure on people who already feel like a burden.
Who can request medical aid in dying
Under the framework outlined by the governor, patients would need to be New York residents and be able to make and communicate health care decisions. Requests would be documented in writing, witnessed under stricter rules, and reinforced through recorded oral and written statements intended to show the choice is voluntary. The legislation also allows certain religiously oriented providers to opt out.
How New York got here — and what comes next
The debate has been building in Albany for years. When physician-assisted death proposals were introduced and began drawing attention in 2016, opponents were already organizing warnings about ethics and unintended consequences, as described in a Times Union story from that year. This year, the bill broke through longstanding gridlock: it cleared a major milestone with the Assembly’s first floor passage in April, reported by City & State, then reached Hochul’s desk after lawmakers approved it in June, according to a separate AP report on the Legislature’s vote.
Neighboring New Jersey adopted a similar framework in 2019, when Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation allowing terminally ill adults to seek a doctor’s prescription for life-ending medication, according to the governor’s office at the time. In New York, the next step is a return to the Capitol in January to pass the agreed amendments — setting up a final decision by Hochul and a countdown to implementation that is likely to keep the state’s medical aid in dying fight at the center of an emotional national debate.
Hochul’s push for a resident-only rule was sharpened by recent court activity elsewhere: a federal appeals court upheld New Jersey’s residency restriction earlier this month, the AP reported, reinforcing the reality that end-of-life access is still largely determined state by state.
