Life or death: Fate of ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ bill in New York state rests on whether Hochul will sign it by end of 2025

Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve to sign or veto a bill that would literally mean life or death for many New Yorkers.

Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID) — which would, if enacted, give terminally ill patients in the state with six months or less to live the option to end their lives using a prescribed lethal cocktail of drugs.