New York governor says she has reached a deal to legalize medically assisted suicide

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is set to become the latest state to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill under a deal reached between the governor and state legislative leaders announced Wednesday.

In an op-ed in the Albany Times Union, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she will sign the proposal after she made an agreement with lawmakers to include a series of “guardrails” in the measure.

Hochul, a Catholic, said she came to the decision after hearing from New Yorkers in the “throes of pain and suffering,” as well as their children, while also considering opposition from “individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life.”

“I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. “This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life.”

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