Governor Kathy Hochul has signed an amended version of the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law, legalizing medically-assisted suicide for patients who meet certain qualifications, Spectrum Local News reported Feb. 6.
Here are 10 things to know about the law:
1. The law is an amended version of a previous bill, including a mandatory waiting period of five days between when a prescription for MAID medications are written and filled.
2. The law will take effect in six months.
3. An oral request for life-ending medication must be recorded by video or audio and permanently stored in the patient’s medical record.
4. The law requires a mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking MAID by a psychologist, neurologist or psychiatrist.
5. It includes a prohibition against anyone who may financially benefit from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
6. MAID will only be legal and available for New York residents.
7. The initial evaluation of a patient by a physician must be in person, unless the attending physician believes an in-person visit would be an excessive hardship.
8. Religiously-oriented home hospice providers may opt out of offering MAID. However, they cannot restrict a patient receiving hospice care within their own home from accessing MAID.
9. Violating the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
10. New York is now the 13th state to legalize MAID.
