Feminists Choosing Life of New York Urges Governor Hochul to Reconsider Support for Medical Aid in Dying Act

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Media Contact: Bernadette Patel, BPFCNLY@gmail.com 1 (480) 388-0280

Feminists Choosing Life of New York Urges Governor Hochul to Reconsider Support for Medical Aid in Dying Act

Rochester, NY — December 17, 2025 — Feminists Choosing Life of New York (FCLNY) — a statewide human-rights organization that promotes pro-life feminism and the consistent life ethic, affirming the inherent dignity and value of all human life from conception through natural death — today calls on Governor Kathy Hochul to withdraw her support for the Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID).

Consistent with FCLNY’s principles, the organization opposes MAID as a destructive act of violence that ends human life and undermines society’s obligation to care for its most vulnerable members. MAID intentionally terminates life, and reframing it as “medical care” does not eliminate its harm — it normalizes suicide, the deliberate ending of one’s own life.

In her recent Albany Times Union op-ed and public statements, Governor Hochul announced her intention to sign an amended version of the MAID legislation, which permits medically assisted death for terminally ill adults under specified conditions. The amendments include procedural safeguards such as a five-day waiting period, dual written and oral requests, and a mandatory mental-health evaluation to confirm decision-making capacity. 

“Regardless of any purported safeguards, MAID is an act of violence that kills people,” says Michele Sterlace-Accorsi, Executive Director of Feminists Choosing Life of New York. “Legalizing assisted suicide — even with procedural safeguards — sends a troubling message that some lives are less worthy of protection when illness, disability, or suffering is involved. And where MAID is legal, suicide rates increase, especially for women, studies show.”

Why MAID Remains Harmful

Despite procedural amendments, the law still authorizes physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients and retains risks critics have repeatedly warned against, including 

• Undermining suicide-prevention efforts by framing death as a treatment option rather than investing in care.

• Vulnerability to coercion or social pressure, which cannot be fully mitigated by procedural safeguards, particularly for people with disabilities, chronic illness, or inadequate access to palliative care.

• Structural inequities that leave individuals isolated, fearful of being a burden, or lacking access to mental-health services, making voluntary consent questionable.

• Reinforcing deadly assumptions about quality of life, codifying bias against people whose lives involve dependence or suffering.

FCLNY Calls for a Better Path

Feminists Choosing Life of New York urges Governor Hochul to reconsider MAID and instead champion policies that reflect true compassion:

• Expand access to quality palliative and hospice care

• Strengthen mental-health and suicide-prevention services

• Improve disability supports and community-based care

“Perpetuating a culture where death is an acceptable solution to suffering contradicts our duty to care for every life, especially those who are most vulnerable,” states Bernadette Patel, an FCLNY Spokesperson and Grassroots Outreach Director.

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