Last year, I received a devastating diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. While I wasn’t afraid of death itself, I dreaded the potential pain and trauma that could accompany the end of my life. I desperately wished for a peaceful and compassionate option, just in case.
As I began to prepare for the possibility that treatment might not be effective, I was shocked to discover that New York still hasn’t legalized medical aid in dying. This end-of-life choice would allow terminally ill adults to obtain prescription medication to peacefully end their lives. Determined to make a difference, I became an advocate for its legalization. It’s been eight years since the bill was introduced, and we must continue to urge lawmakers to understand the harm their inaction inflicts upon the terminally ill.
Body autonomy is a fundamental right that grants individuals the power to control what happens to their bodies without external influence or coercion. This right should never be violated. However, in New York, we extend compassionate and humane deaths to animals while denying humans the same right.
Opponents of medical aid in dying often raise hypothetical concerns about coercion and abuse, despite no recorded instances of such issues in states where these laws have passed. These laws come with numerous safeguards to prevent any potential abuse.
Many lawmakers suggest that hospice and palliative care are sufficient alternatives. However, extensive medical research reveals that both have limitations and cannot always alleviate extreme suffering. Additionally, many terminally ill individuals are opposed to being forced into hospice or palliative care when their quality of life has deteriorated to an unbearable level. They want the autonomy to choose their own end.
Being an advocate with firsthand experience is incredibly challenging. Advocates constantly have to recount the stories of their loved ones’ agonizing pain at the end of life to lawmakers. The trauma caused by repeatedly reliving these details cannot be underestimated.
My mental health suffered as I engaged with lawmakers who displayed complete disregard for the immense suffering experienced by the terminally ill. During one encounter, a senator told me to my face that he couldn’t support the bill because he “just wants the Catholics to leave (him) alone.” Many opposing lawmakers even refused to engage in conversation with us.
By the end of the legislative session, there were enough votes to pass medical aid in dying. However, leadership made the decision not to bring the bill to a vote, sending a clear message that the needless and traumatizing suffering of terminally ill New Yorkers isn’t a priority.
It has taken me months to come to terms with the devastation caused by our lawmakers’ failure to protect the terminally ill from suffering. With numerous other states allowing medical aid in dying, I now regret choosing to build my life in New York.
If I sound bitter and angry, it’s because I am. My cancer treatment has been grueling, punishing, and often debilitating. However, the worst part is going to sleep at night knowing that the state of New York doesn’t care about the excruciating pain and suffering that I may endure if my treatment fails.
If an Assembly member or senator opposes medical aid in dying, they are essentially against our freedom to decide what happens with our own bodies. Their constituents should take notice: Do you want to support a lawmaker who stands in the way of protecting the terminally ill? Do you want a representative who allows the demands of religious groups to override the rights of those who are nonreligious?
As we approach the next legislative session, it is crucial that we press lawmakers through emails, phone calls, and letters. They need to understand that New Yorkers want a peaceful and compassionate option at the end of life. They must find the empathy within themselves to do the right thing.
