Will New York become the 12th state to legalize assisted suicide? That decision officially rests in the hands of Governor Kathy Hochul (D).

On Monday, the New York State Senate passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID). The vote was 35-27, “with six Democrats — Senators April Baskin, Siela Bynoe, Cordelle Cleare, Monica Martinez, Roxanne Persaud, and Sam Sutton — voting against it,” the New York Post reported. If signed, MAID allows mentally competent adults with six months or less to live to request and self-administer medication for physician-assisted suicide.

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) hailed the legislation as “one of the great social reforms of our state.” The senator, who also co-sponsored the bill in the upper chamber, went on to claim, “This is about personal autonomy, this is about liberty, this is about exercising one’s own freedom to control one’s body.” Similarly, state Senator Rachel May (D) said MAID “isn’t about controlling the disease or controlling the pain, it’s about having control at the end of your life.”

But critics of the bill are raising ethical and practical concerns, arguing that the legislation, unlike similar laws in the 10 other states and D.C. where assisted suicide is legal, lacks critical safeguards. “Under the bill,” the Post added, “recipients would need approval from two doctors and a sign-off from two independent witnesses, after which they would receive a prescription for drugs they could use to take their life at a time of their choosing. Doctors also do not have to conduct a mental health screening for each patient, but may refer a patient for one under the legislation.”

Questions linger as to whether there is any statutory waiting period that would serve in “establishing [a] clear chain of custody for the pills, mandating the doctor and recipient meet in-person, and requiring a disclosure that someone indeed used the drugs to take their own life.” This, Hoylman-Sigal claimed, is “rational.” However, opposition to the bill is fierce, with critics framing it as a dangerous step toward normalizing suicide.

National Review branded New York as the “state of death.” The New York Post called the legislation “monstrous.” Others described Monday’s decision as “a dark day.”

“For the first time in its history,” said Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, “New York is on the verge of authorizing doctors to help their patients commit suicide. Make no mistake — this is only the beginning, and the only person standing between New York and the assisted suicide nightmare unfolding in Canada is Governor Hochul.” In a statement, The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide added, “The governor still has the opportunity to uphold New York’s commitment to suicide prevention, protect vulnerable communities, and affirm that every life — regardless of disability, age, or diagnosis — is worthy of care, dignity, and protection.”

Chairman Gerard Kassar of the Conservative Party of New York also urged Hochul to veto the “dangerous legislation.” As he put it, “This legislation is not about dignity — it’s about surrender.” Rather than “investing in pain management, mental health services, and real palliative care, the Democrat-led Senate wants to offer death as a substitute for support. It’s appalling.” He added, “The so-called ‘right to die’ becomes a duty to die when insurance companies realize it’s cheaper than treatment, or when an overwhelmed caregiver sees no alternative. There is nothing progressive about normalizing suicide. This isn’t a left vs. right issue — it’s right vs. wrong. Governor Hochul has a chance to stop this madness and draw a line for decency and life.”

Hochul, however, has yet to reveal her stance. Her office has only stated that she “will review the legislation,” leaving both supporters and opponents anxiously awaiting her decision. As lobbyists from both sides press their cases, the debate underscores profound moral and ethical questions about life, dignity, and compassion. In a comment to The Washington Stand, Family Research Council’s Mary Szoch put it bluntly: “Physician-assisted suicide is a false form of compassion — one that has no place in America.”

Szoch, director of FRC’s Center for Human Dignity, went on to explain, “Each of us must recognize that true compassion means a willingness to suffer with someone else — to be there every single step of the journey of life. Proponents of assisted suicide may believe that a person’s dignity can be lost if their capacity to live autonomously decreases. However, as Christians, we are called to witness to the truth that a person’s dignity is immutable because that dignity comes from being a son or daughter of Christ.”