Overview
- The Assembly passed the negotiated amendments 85–60 and the Senate 34–28, clearing the way for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign by her stated deadline of Friday at midnight.
- Hochul previously agreed to sign after securing additional guardrails, saying the changes would help people shorten their deaths rather than their lives.
- Eligible patients must be mentally competent adults with a terminal diagnosis and a prognosis of six months or less who request self-administered medication.
- Safeguards include a five-day waiting period, a written and recorded oral affirmation of voluntariness, an in-person physician evaluation, and a mandatory mental health assessment; financial beneficiaries cannot serve as witnesses or interpreters.
- The law takes effect six months after enactment to allow the Department of Health to issue regulations and for health systems to train staff, with provider immunities such as not resuscitating qualified patients who self-administer.