Gov. Hochul's review now pending on Medical Aid in Dying Act
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The New York State Senate has passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act for the first time since the legislation was introduced in 2016.
The bill allows terminally ill adults with incurable diseases and six months or less to live the ability to make the decision to peacefully end their lives through a prescription.
If signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York State will join 11 other U.S. states in legalizing the end-of-life option. News 8 heard from those in support of and against the legislation, as it now goes to the governor's desk for signature.
Andrea Calloway serves as executive director for the Sunset House, which is Irondequoit's only comfort care home for terminally ill patients.
The Sunset House has been offering end-of-life care, supported by donations, for over 35 years.
'Here at the Sunset House, we allow the resident to be in control of decision making, as long as it's safe. I believe, personally, people should have the right to their own decisions of what will work best for them,' said Calloway.
New York State Assemblymember Josh Jensen has opposed the bill from the beginning and led the debate on the state Assembly floor before it passed.
'What was really prevalent in the Assembly debate is it's not a partisan issue and not a conservative issue, it's a question of morality. It's a question of life or death. I think that was shown not just through opposition of people like me, but I think 21 Democratic no votes and six Democratic no votes in the Senate last night. Certainly, there was bipartisan opposition, but not bipartisan support,' said Asm. Jensen.
From the perspective of hospice care, Calloway adds it's unclear what the future of this option might look like for providers like the Sunset House, should it become law.
'It's a jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces. There's a lot of moving parts here. There's family involved, friends involved, a doctor involved, and the individual person involved. [It's a question of,] 'Do you have everything in order before you make this decision to do this?' There's lots of pieces involved,' said Calloway.
Assemblymember Harry Bronson also weighed in, saying the bill offers a 'compassionate choice.'
'While I understand and respect the concerns of those who object, I believe the Medical Aid in Dying Act is fundamentally about offering a compassionate choice to qualified patients who wish to die on their own terms. This legislation represents a careful balance between providing end-of-life autonomy and maintaining essential protections to ensure that this profound decision is made voluntarily by those who are truly facing the end of their lives.'
As the legislation goes before Gov. Hochul for review, the president of the New York State Bar Association issued the following statement to encourage her approval:
'Medical Aid in Dying offers both dignity and compassion to those experiencing a terminal illness. It ensures that New Yorkers have a full array of end-of-life options and provides them with the autonomy to make their own choices to avoid needless suffering. We commend the legislature for passing this important bill and will continue to offer our support and advocacy in encouraging the governor to sign it into law.'
More information about the Sunset House and ways to support their care can be found here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Fox News
an hour ago
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'Baby steps': Leader Thune details his work to corral Republicans behind Trump's legislative vision
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TOP TRUMP ALLY PREDICTS SENATE WILL BLOW PAST 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' DEADLINE Senate Republicans have been working on their version of Trump's mammoth bill, which includes priorities to make his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, sweeping changes to healthcare, Biden-era energy credits and deep spending cuts, among others, since the beginning of June. Now that each portion of the bill has been released, Thune is eyeing having the bill on the floor by the middle of next week. But, he still has to wrangle disparate factions within the Senate GOP to get on board with the bill. "It is a work in progress," Thune said. "It's, you know, sometimes it's kind of incremental baby steps." A cohort of fiscal hawks, led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., are unhappy with the level of spending cuts in the bill. 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Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Experience vs. inspiration: New York City mayoral race mirrors national Dem divide
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By and large, Mamdani has remained outside regular power structures in Albany, meaning even those who deal with the Assembly the most can't predict what a Mamdani City Hall might look like. Lobbyists surveyed by POLITICO — including those supportive of causes he appears aligned with, like environmental and criminal justice issues — say they haven't engaged with him much, or even met him at all. His name only appears on Gov. Kathy Hochul's schedules once in the past four years, when attending a dinner joined by 21 members of the Queens delegation. One of the most important questions for any inexperienced executive is how they will fill out their administration. Former Gov. David Paterson, who went from the state Legislature to a high-level executive role — much like Mamdani hopes to — said those decisions can make or break an administration. 'The whole issue is about staff selection,' said Paterson, who's backing Cuomo. 'You may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier but the other bulbs can work along with you.' Even Mamdani's supporters have emphasized he needs to fill his administration with experienced staff — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she has 'made her expectations of the assemblymember quite clear' in that area. Nothing has tripped up past mayors in New York City more than tensions with the city's vast and complicated bureaucracy — from a sanitation strike during John Lindsay's tenure, to Bill de Blasio's early missteps with snowstorms. It will likely be difficult for somebody like Mamdani to walk into office with the trust of city employees, especially if they lack high-level staff already familiar with the intricacies of the municipal government. 'He'd have to spend a decade building relationships in the city,' said Brandon del Pozo, a Brown University professor and former NYPD deputy inspector. 'You have to have a legislative track record. You'd have to have meetings with the police and the labor unions. You have to do a lot of behind-the-scenes work.' A failure to lay those foundational building blocks means city employees like police officers may be skeptical of Mamdani from the get-go. 'Even though I don't think de Blasio had a great tenure — he still was able to convince people that he knew how New York City ran,' del Pozo said, pointing to the former mayor's time in institutions like the City Council. 'This is one of the most important cities in the world and the biggest and most complex city in the United States. So if you don't have the executive experience, you've got to have something else that really, really makes up for that.' Paterson noted how 'Cuomo described [electing Mamdani] as reckless and dangerous. It certainly would portend that would be the case.' But, he added, 'you just never know' when it comes to succeeding as an executive. 'The one thing he's been in charge of his campaign,' he said. 'That's working: He's in the game.' And nobody — not even the candidates themselves — actually know whether they're experienced enough to be an executive for the first time. 'When I did become governor, it felt that way: 'What am I doing here!?'' Paterson said. — Jeff Coltin contributed reporting
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Senate parliamentarian greenlights state AI law freeze in GOP megabill
The Senate's rules referee late Saturday allowed Republicans to include in their megabill a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local artificial intelligence laws — a surprising result for the provision that's split the GOP. Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) rewrote a House-passed AI moratorium to try to comply with the chamber's budgetary rules. His version made upholding the moratorium a condition for receiving billions in federal broadband expansion funds. Both parties made their arguments before the parliamentarian Thursday. 'It's good policy,' Cruz said of the moratorium in a recent interview. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) has also defended the provision, saying it's necessary to avoid a 'labyrinth of regulation' with '50 different states going 50 different directions on the topic of AI regulation.' Though the parliamentarian delivered a victory for Republicans, a number of conservative senators including Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), have vocally opposed the provision. Hawley has vowed to work with Democrats on an amendment to remove the language once the megabill hits the floor. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and the House Freedom Caucus have also opposed the AI moratorium, with Greene threatening to oppose the megabill H.R. 1 (119) if the legal freeze remains.
