In one of the more contentious votes of the legislative session, the state Assembly passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act by a vote of 81-67. The legislation, which would allow terminally ill adults with a prognosis of less than six months to live to request life-ending medication from a physician, sparked emotional debate across party lines—but drew sharp criticism from Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano, who voted against it.
The lawmaker described the measure as dangerous, unethical, and incompatible with the core mission of healthcare. “This is not a vote I take lightly,” he noted. “But legalizing doctor-assisted suicide is a grave mistake. It’s a policy that opens the door to too many risks—for patients, families, and our society as a whole.”
During the Assembly’s four-hour floor debate—the maximum time allowed under chamber rules—DeStefano and several colleagues raised red flags over the bill’s lack of safeguards and potential for abuse. “What happens when the lethal drugs fall into the wrong hands—into the hands of a child or into the hands of someone who pressures a vulnerable patient into ending their life?” he asked. “This legislation offers no protections against those scenarios.”
DeStefano also questioned the bill’s requirement that a patient’s death certificate lists their underlying illness—not the self-administered medication—as the official cause of death. “That’s not compassion. That’s deception,” he said. “It’s asking doctors to falsify records and undermine the very trust patients place in them.”
Supporters of the bill argue it provides terminally ill individuals with autonomy and dignity in their final days. But DeStefano countered that genuine compassion lies in expanding palliative and hospice care, not providing a “deadly poison with no meaningful oversight.”
He pointed to guidance from the American Medical Association, which has long held that physician-assisted suicide is incompatible with a doctor’s role as healer. “Instead of ending life,” DeStefano said, “we should be doing everything possible to ease suffering through care—not through abandonment.”
The legislation now moves to the state Senate, where its fate remains uncertain. Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to publicly commit to signing it into law. “I urge the Senate and the Governor to reject this bill,” DeStefano said. “Let’s invest in support, not surrender. Our state’s moral compass depends on it.”