Askanim Urge Action to Stop Assisted Suicide Bill Ahead of NY Assembly Committees Vote on Amendments

The New York State Assembly Health Committee and Codes Committee are scheduled to vote Wednesday on amendments to the assisted suicide bill that passed the legislature last year, with askanim calling on the public to contact their state legislators in opposition, noting that there is still a chance to stop the legislation from passing.

The Health Committee vote is set for 12 p.m., followed by the Codes Committee at 12:30 p.m. The vote comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed chapter amendments to the bill, which she has stated she will only sign if these modifications are approved by the legislature.

If the committees reject the amendments, the bill will automatically expire within a 30-day deadline. However, if the amendments pass committee, a floor vote is expected for Thursday or potentially next week.

Askanim involved in the effort to block the legislation emphasized that despite the proposed amendments, the bill remains fundamentally flawed and dangerous.
“The purpose of these improvements is only to help the governor approve the assisted suicide bill,” public advocate Yonasan Teleky told Belaaz. “These so-called protections are really just there to endanger people by making the bill passable.”

Critics note that many of the most problematic elements of the original bill remain unchanged in the amendments. The legislation still requires doctors to transfer patient records to physicians who would carry out assisted suicide, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs – a provision that was highlighted in a recent letter from Sullivan County Jewish leadership to Assemblywoman Paula Kay.
“This would force religious doctors to have a part in the process, even if they’re somewhat exempt,” Teleky noted, describing it as a violation of religious rights.

The bill also lacks what advocates call meaningful long-term protections. A severability clause in the legislation would allow courts to strike down individual safeguards while keeping the core assisted suicide provisions intact, rendering any protections “worthless in the long term,” according to Teleky.

Among the issues that remain unaddressed in the amended version: witnesses’ signatures are still not checked for fraud, there is no video requirement despite earlier rumors that this might be included, no oversight process exists for pharmacists, and there are no provisions to remove lethal medication from patients who develop dementia after receiving it.

While Hochul did add some new restrictions – including mandating psychiatric evaluations and prohibiting witnesses from having financial interests in the patient’s death – askanim argue these changes are insufficient, aside from the core idea of assisted suicide being, in itself, deeply wrong.
“Most of the loopholes from the original bill were never corrected,” Teleky noted.

The bill’s sponsor in the Assembly is Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, head of the Codes Committee, also supporting the legislation.

The assisted suicide measure, known as Assembly Bill A9515 (Senate Bill S8835), was not initially included on the week’s committee schedule and was added only Tuesday morning, which Teleky described as unusual.

Askanim are urging community members to contact their state legislators immediately to oppose both the amendments and the underlying bill.

The Assembly floor vote, and likely a Senate vote (where the bill has already passed committees), should the amendments pass the Assembly committee, would likely take place Thursday, though it could potentially be delayed until next week, according to Teleky.