Doctor: Aid in Dying will lead to more palliative care
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — With the New York State assembly approving a bill that would allow patients near death to end their life with the oversight of a doctor, Dr. Daniel Mendelson is emphasizing what he sees as the larger benefit of all this.
Mendelson, who has provided palliative care in the Rochester area for 25 years, says the option to end one's life will encourage more people to broach a difficult topic with their doctor.
The two, he says, can then talk about other options, like end-of-life, or palliative, care.
'The experience in Oregon, less than two thirds of the patients who get a prescription actually end up taking it and many patients who ask physicians about medical aid in dying don't ever take a prescription, but all of them get good, thoughtful, compassionate end-of-life care and that to me is what's most important,' Mendelson says.
While some oppose this bill on religious grounds others argue it devalues human life and could provide a slippery slope where the current restrictions or guardrails erode or are reduced leading to a place where the practice occurs in scenarios most would currently find unacceptable.
Mendelson, though, says the bill provides something valued by most people: choice.
'The peace of mind of is really important to patients,' Mendelson says. 'So even those who don't actually even talk to a physician, having the peace of mind that they know whatever level of suffering they put up with it's because they choose to and not because they have to is a huge relief and it empowers people to deal with their issues longer because they know that it's a choice and I think that's important to most Americans and most adults, is to know they have choice in the matter.'
In the current bill, only terminally ill patients would be eligible for this prescription and the patient would have to administer the medication themselves.
The state senate now as to vote on the measure before it heads to the governor's desk.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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