Compassion & Choices Forum: "Expanding Options at the End of Life"

With the new legislative session underway, Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest non-profit organization committed to improving care and expanding choice at the end of life, sponsored a public forum, “Expanding Options at the End of Life: Changing the Law to Allow for Medical Aid in Dying in New York State.”

The forum was one of many outreach efforts to inform New Yorkers about what medical aid in dying is, why the State must authorize aid in dying and how they can get involved to support aid-in-dying legislation.

Advocates want to make New York the next state to authorize the option of aid in dying.

Since the death of Brittany Maynard, who moved from California to Oregon to access that state’s aid in dying law, numerous New York State legislators have introduced aid in dying bills in Albany. Last October, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the End of Life Option Act, making access to aid in dying the law in California. Five states currently authorize the option.

In New York, polling shows that 3 of 4 voters across political and religious affiliations support access to aid in dying.

New York’s aid in dying bills would allow mentally capable, terminally ill adults the option to request a prescription for life-ending medication that can be self-administered in order to reduce suffering at life’s end.

Corinne Carey, New York State Campaign Director for Compassion & Choices, was at the forum.

Also presenting were volunteer advocates Laura Kelly of Mount Kisco and Stacey Gibson of Garrison. They are the Compassion & Choices Action Team Leaders for the Lower Hudson Valley.

The forum took place Tuesday at the Desmond Fish Library in Garrison.

PHOTO: Laura Kelly of Mount Kisco and Stacey Gibson of Garrison/contributed