We are women. We are women of color. We are both nurses. And we are elected Members of the New York State Assembly who proudly voted to empower dying New Yorkers with the option of medical aid in dying to allow them to avoid needless suffering at the end of their lives.
When it comes to the topic of death and dying, we have witnessed firsthand the experiences that people have. Our society has a culture of reluctance when it comes to discussing the end of life; in the medical profession and as a whole. However, as nurses standing at the bedside, often seeing patients at the worst times of their lives, we don’t get that luxury. Regardless of who the patient is, how old they are, whether their pain is fleeting or long lasting – our goal is always to help those in need. The reality is though, oftentimes despite our best efforts, the alleviation of pain and suffering is unattainable.
A patient who is given a terminal diagnosis is not someone who can, with further treatment, live a little longer. Terminally ill patients are individuals that are dying. They are people who have availed themself to all of the treatment and interventions their body can handle and are now facing the end of their life.
They are patients like those we have seen firsthand; a woman with breast cancer, who after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, comes in with a fungating breast wound where their breast literally falls off. That wound, as it continues to metastasize, spreads from their breast to their arm to their back. The wound must be dressed (cleaned) twice a day. They tell us, “Please don’t touch me anymore.” Patients like young men who we see oftentimes with esophageal cancers who have had multiple resections of their tumors. The staff can literally fit their fist through their face into their oral cavity.
When we talk about the pain that our patients feel, this is what we are talking about. We are talking about individuals who no longer have treatment options, there is no cure for their disease, they are dying and begging to be relieved from their suffering. Currently, in an attempt to keep up with the relenting pain that patients feel, we administer copious amounts of pain medications that often do not relieve the suffering that the individual is feeling.
Every single patient that we have taken care of, 100% of them, wants to live. Nobody wants to die. But still, despite all the science and research, despite all our best efforts with modern medicine – we are still imperfect and we cannot always cure people. For those individuals who no longer have an option on whether to live or die but are merely facing a choice on how their final days look – the option of medical aid in dying must be available.
The experiences we share today are not unique to us, that’s why the Medical Society of the State of New York, the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, the New York State Psychiatric Associations, and of course, the New York State Nurses Association (amongst 60+ organizations) support the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
We know that the ability to discuss all end of life options available to those approaching the final days, weeks, months, even years of their lives, is important, healthy and can provide the best outcomes not just for the patient but all who surround them. Bringing the conversation to light, allowing patients to discuss their wishes and fears with their physician, caretakers, family members – can provide comfort to all.
We have seen in states that have authorized medical aid in dying as an option, that there is an uptick in hospice utilization, which would be a welcome consequence to passing the New York legislation. Data from the 10 states and Washington D.C. that allows this as an option illustrates that 90% of patients who obtain a prescription for aid in dying are receiving hospice care. Which is why it comes to no surprise that one-third of the patients who get the prescription never actually take it. Their fears about pain and suffering never come to fruition and thus they don’t utilize the medication. However, the families of those individuals who receive a prescription describe a sense of relief by just knowing that the option is there for the patient should they need it. A requirement of the pending legislation in NYS is that any patient requesting MAiD must be counseled on all options, including hospice and palliative care, which we believe will have a tremendous impact on all terminally ill patients.
Last month, the Assembly made history and passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Now, the legislation awaits action from our colleagues in the Senate, led by Senators Hoylman-Sigal and Scarcella-Spanton and as nurses, we implore the Senate to pass this compassionate bill.
Too many dying patients have looked to us, with desperation in their eyes, begging us to stop their suffering. We have heard the tortured pleas far too many times from dying patients in pain that – despite the best efforts of palliative care – cannot be controlled.
It is because of those experiences and for those patients, we believe that terminally ill adults – those who have an irreversible and incurable illness or disease, with a prognosis of six months or less – with the ability to make health care decisions for themselves, the options they should have available to them include palliative care, hospice care and medical aid in dying. The safeguards ensure that only terminally ill adults with the ability to make health care decisions and a prognosis of six months to live or less – confirmed by two physicians – have access to this option. Medical aid in dying is now legal in 10 states, including our neighbors New Jersey and Vermont, and Washington D.C. It’s time we made it legal in New York.
Medical doctors, nurses, lawyers and more than 60+ organizations support the Medical Aid in Dying Act, simply put, because it’s the right thing to do. And because the bill has all the safeguards from the experience of those 11 jurisdictions where medical aid in dying is legal.
As nurses, we know that providing this option for dying New Yorkers is simply about allowing dying patients to make a choice – a compassionate choice – that is right for them. We’ve been with patients in their final hours who have begged for this option.
It’s time, New York. Senators, the wait must be over. Don’t leave session without passing the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
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