New York's Assisted-Suicide Mistake
New York's Legislature embraces every progressive cause, and the latest is making it easier for people to kill themselves. The state Senate voted 35-27 Monday to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act, and let's hope that Gov. Kathy Hochul has the courage to veto it for the sake of society's most vulnerable.
One irony is that New York passed the first U.S. law that banned assisting death in 1828. Eight years ago the New York Court of Appeals affirmed the state government 'has an interest in preserving life and preventing suicide.' But times and morals have changed. Life itself is less valued today than a life that is supposedly worth living. For Assemblywoman Amy Paulin this means being allowed to 'end unbearable suffering.' Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized assisted suicide since 1997.
New York's proposal is for 'mentally competent' adults who have been given prognoses of six months or less to live. This sounds compassionate, but around the world it has proved to be a slippery slope. In Canada the 'medical assistance in dying' program has become at least the fifth-leading cause of death since 2015. The law has shed its original safeguards and in 2027 will be available to those with mental illness alone. It already is in parts of Europe.
Oregon mandates a 15-day waiting period between a patient's first and second dying requests. New York's requires no delay, meaning a patient could receive a diagnosis one day and have a lethal cocktail the next if two physicians approve. Doctors needn't refer applicants for mental-health evaluations if they believe patients have the 'decision-making capacity' to make an 'informed decision.' This standard means there will soon be go-to suicide doctors.
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