Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect: terminally ill New Yorkers can now request life-ending medication

As of Aug. 5, medical aid in dying is legal in New York under Public Health Law Article 28-F, making it the 13th U.S. jurisdiction (plus D.C.) to permit the practice. Terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less can request self-administered medication after approval from two physicians, a capacity determination, and a five-day waiting period between prescription and fill. Hochul signed the act Dec. 17, 2025; the effective date was set to give DOH time to issue regulations and providers time to set policies. Provider participation is voluntary, so access will vary by hospital system. The law arrives under a split legal cloud: an Aug. 3 injunction lets Catholic providers decline participation on consent grounds, while a disability-rights challenge was dismissed.