The New York State Senate in the US on Monday approved a bill that would allow people facing terminal diagnoses to end their lives on their own terms, which, according to supporters of the bill, would give New Yorkers a degree of autonomy in their final days, UNN writes, citing The New York Times.
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The bill will now be sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, for signature. It is unclear whether she plans to sign it; a representative from her office said she would consider it.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing so-called medical assistance in dying. The practice is also available in several European countries and Canada, which recently expanded its criteria to extend the option to people with incurable chronic illnesses and disabilities.
The New York bill is narrower and would only apply to people with incurable and irreversible conditions who have six months or less to live. Supporters say this distinction is key.
"It's not about ending a person's life, it's about shortening their death," said State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat from Manhattan and one of the bill's sponsors, which passed Monday night by a vote of 35 to 27.
Under the bill, New Yorkers who are predicted by two doctors to have no more than six months to live will be able to request a lethal cocktail of drugs. The request must be certified by two adults who cannot inherit anything in the event of the patient's death. Doctors can refer the patient for a psychiatric examination if they deem it necessary.