A bill that would allow doctors to administer a fatal dose of medicine to terminally ill patients has the votes to pass, said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a major step forward in its path to becoming law.
The legislation, known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, will likely be voted on before the end of session after years under consideration in the Legislature, the Yonkers Democrat told reporters at a press conference in the State Capitol on Thursday.
“It is a conversation that has evolved considerably. I do believe there are the votes and it is likely it will come to the floor,” Stewart-Cousins said.
The bill hadn’t moved in a decade until April of this year, when it passed in the Assembly. The measure has faced opposition from the Catholic Church and some doctors, but began to crack from its moorings last year when the Medical Society of the State of New York, a physician trade group, backed the bill after some changes were made, including allowing doctors to opt out and new measures to limit insurance companies from deny coverage to people who have chosen to end their lives.
The bill would allow terminally ill patients to request a doctor to administer the procedure and rescind the request if they change their mind. It shields participating doctors, pharmacists and other health workers from civil or criminal liabilities or sanctions.
The legislation has not been scheduled for a floor vote but, having already passed the Assembly, passage in the Senate would mean its next stop is the governor’s desk to be signed or vetoed.
The votes to pass will likely be along partisan lines, Stewart-Cousins indicated, relying on Democrats’ 41-member majority in the 63-seat upper chamber. “We normally do not rely on Republican votes,” she said.
