New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Takes Effect: What to Know

New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act goes into effect on August 5. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill into law earlier this year in February. The new law allows medical aid in dying for New Yorkers with a terminal illness who have less than six months to live. Some groups have challenged the law in court with mixed results. A federal judge dismissed one of the lawsuits last week, while a judge in a separate case signed off on a temporary injunction regarding the plaintiffs in that case.Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Ed McArdle, Assistant Clinical Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, about how the law will be implemented across New York.