New York State has also officially implemented a “euthanasia law” that allows individuals to choose to end their lives with the assistance of medical professionals.
The “Medical Assistance in Death” Act, signed by New York Governor Kathy Hockul last February, officially took effect on the 5th following a six-month grace and preparation period. [Reported on page A3 of this newspaper on February 9] With this, New York State has become the 13th state in the nation to legalize euthanasia. New Jersey previously legalized the practice in 2019, becoming the eighth state in the country to do so. New York State’s legislation is modeled after the Oregon bill, which was the first in the nation to introduce the system in 1994.
The core of the act is that adult New York residents with the capacity for decision-making and a remaining life expectancy of less than six months can voluntarily choose medically assisted death. If a patient wishes for euthanasia, the submission of a written request and the signatures of two witnesses are required. The witnesses must be adults who will not receive any financial gain upon the patient’s death, and the entire request process must be recorded on video or audio and permanently preserved.
A waiting period of at least five days is mandated between approval and the final administration of medication. Regarding the implementation of New York State’s euthanasia law, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of New York State expressed strong opposition, calling it a “very dangerous and destructive law that undermines human dignity.” Meanwhile, euthanasia is a different concept from death with dignity. Death with dignity refers to the cessation of life-prolonging medical procedures for patients beyond recovery, whereas euthanasia is a broader concept involving the administration of drugs to a patient to bring about death. In South Korea, euthanasia is illegal, and only death with dignity has been permitted since 2018.