In ten U.S. states and in Washington, D.C., legislation often referred to as “medical aid in dying” is legal. The laws allow people who are terminally ill to access medication that helps ends their lives.
A proposed New York bill has been debated for about a decade. In June, it again failed to advance in the state legislature.
The legislation has generated fierce debate: supporters say it would help people avoid suffering and be able to have peaceful deaths; opponents counter that patients may feel pressured to end their lives, especially if they are given inaccurate diagnoses. The debate has raised questions about the roles of patients, physicians, and who should be able to access life-ending drugs, if anyone.
This hour, our panelists explain their positions on medical aid in dying.
Our guests:
- Ondi Timoner, director and producer of the film “Last Flight Home,” which chronicles her father’s medically-assisted death in California
- Chris Hilderbrant, executive director of the Rochester Spinal Association
- Fritz Longabaugh, lead pastor at Ridgeland Community Church
