A9515

The New York State Senate passed Assembly Bill 9515, a medical aid in dying measure, on a 34-28 roll call vote on February 4, with the bill moving to the noncontroversial calendar by agreement before the final vote. The bill, sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblemember Paulin and championed in the Senate by Sen. Rivera through chapter amendments, would make New York the 13th state to legalize medical aid in dying. The measure includes safeguards such as a five-day waiting period, evaluations by both attending and consulting physicians, separate mental health assessments, witness requirements, and provisions for safe disposal of unused medications. The bill explicitly protects life insurance beneficiaries from denial of benefits for actions taken under the law. Twenty-eight senators voted against the measure, with opponents including Sens. Borrello and Weber expressing concerns about chain of custody of lethal drugs, lack of oversight after prescription, risks to vulnerable populations, and the reliability of terminal illness prognoses. Sen. Borrello argued the bill creates a slippery slope toward euthanasia and abandons safeguards by not requiring administration in controlled medical settings. Sen. Weber characterized the bill as heading toward legalized euthanasia and noted receiving more constituent calls opposing it than any other issue in three years of office.