Story perspectives

Hochul Signs Medical Aid in Dying Act for Terminal Patients

8/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on August 5, 2026.
The act allows people 18 and older with a terminal illness to obtain lethal medication.
Eligibility requires a prognosis of death within six months, a mental-health evaluation, and a waiting period.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, the bill’s sponsor, called the enactment compassionate.
A judge dismissed a disability-rights lawsuit and granted a temporary exemption to four Carmelite Sisters orders.

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Story summary

Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on August 5, 2026.
The act allows people 18 and older with a terminal illness to obtain lethal medication.
Eligibility requires a prognosis of death within six months, a mental-health evaluation, and a waiting period.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, the bill’s sponsor, called the enactment compassionate.
A judge dismissed a disability-rights lawsuit and granted a temporary exemption to four Carmelite Sisters orders.