On Tuesday, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that would legalize medically subsidized suicides in terminally ill people and sent the measure to the state Senate.
The Deathly Medical Assistance Act passed legislature with 81-67 votes. This measure will allow for mentally competent adults given within six months to live the option of being prescribed a deadly drug.
Rep. Amy Pauline, a lawmaker who sponsors the bill, said she had the motivation to introduce the law after her sister died of ovarian cancer.
According to the New York Post, Democrat Pauline said, “I don’t know if she had the opportunity to use this drug, but when she passed away I can tell you I wasn’t there.”
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On Tuesday, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that would legalize medically supported suicides for terminally ill people. (istock)
“When she passed away, my other sisters weren’t there, and that was her wish,” she continued.
Democrat Reiys, a registered nurse, said the bill would allow people to die with dignity.
“If you don’t believe it, don’t take advantage of that choice, but I think it’s inhumane for us to tell people that we are forcing them to continue suffering,” Reyes said.
Medically supported suicides have gained support in New York over the past decade, but opponents of the measure claim it is similar to state-sponsored suicides.
“I saw my mother die, I saw my daughter die, and at some point, due to the fact that none of us are out of here, we all go, but I don’t think there should be a combination of six drugs offered to someone to end our lives.
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Rep. Amy Pauline, a lawmaker who sponsors the bill, said she had the motivation to introduce the law after her sister died of ovarian cancer. (Getty Images)
Republican Rep. Mary Beth Walsh said “every life is worth it” when opposing the proposal.
“Progress may not be a straight line and may seem different from each of us, but this idea of giving up and dying is upwards, not Excelsior. That’s incredibly sad,” she said.
Andrea Stewart Kausins, the leader of the state Senate majority, said she would discuss the bill with the senators, but she had not said whether she would lift it for floor votes.
Democrat Reiys, a registered nurse, said the bill would allow people to die with dignity. (Getty Images)
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“The conversation started in earnest last year, so I think we’ll have time to take it seriously,” she told reporters.
It is unclear whether the Democrats will sign the measure if they pass the state legislature.
There are 10 US states with legalized physician-assisted suicide. Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, have also legalized suicide assistance.
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