Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 17 announced an agreement with the state legislature to make medical aid-in-dying available for terminally ill New York residents who have less than six months to live.
Here are 10 things to know:
1. The new bill, which includes amendments added after deliberation between its sponsors, advocacy organizations and testimony from voters, will be passed and signed in January, according to a news release from the governor’s office. It will go into effect six months from the signature date.
2. The bill includes a mandatory waiting period of five days between when a prescription is written and filled.
3. An oral request by the patient for medical aid-in-dying must be recorded by video or audio.
4. There is a mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid-in-dying must be conducted by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
5. The bill prohibits anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
6. An initial evaluation of the patient must be conducted in person by a physician.
7. Religiously-oriented home hospice providers may opt out of offering medical aid-in-dying.
8. Medical aid-in-dying will only be available to New York residents.
9. A violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
10. The effective date of the bill is six months after signing into law in order to give the Department of Health sufficient time to put regulations in place to ensure that healthcare facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.
