Whole-Life Feminists Call Upon the NYS Senate to Reject the Medical Aid In Dying Act

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Apr 28
3 min read

Updated: May 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Michele Sterlace-Accorsi, (716) 864 1454, info@fclny.org

Rochester, NY, May 1, 2025– The proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID) is moving forward in the New York State Legislature, with Assembly Bill A136 having already passed in the Assembly and been referred to the Senate.

Diverse groups call upon the NYS Legislature to VOTE NO to MAID, including Feminists Choosing Life of New York (FCLNY), a statewide human rights organization that promotes non-violence. FCLNY is a member of the New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide, comprised of diverse groups including the Center for Disability Rights, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the NY Association of Independent Living, all of which oppose MAID.

According to Cecelia Lester, President of Feminists Choosing Life of New York, “evidence that physician assisted suicide does more harm than good has only mounted in the last 10 years. Every major national disability organization that has taken a stance on assisted suicide laws stands in opposition to them. The American Medical Association is a long-standing opponent of MAID.”

“In the name of compassion and self governance, MAID threatens to violate human rights, increase overall suicide rates, including non-assisted suicide rates, and jeopardize suicide prevention efforts, all of which disproportionately impact women, the disabled and low-income populations,” states FCLNY’s Executive Director Michele Sterlace-Accorsi.

“Despite wording in the pending MAID bills that a self-administered drug overdose by a person who qualifies under MAID ‘shall not be construed for any purpose to constitute suicide [or] assisted suicide,’ it is precisely that- suicide,” Sterlace-Accorsi says.

Empirical evidence demonstrates that where assisted suicide is legalized, total suicide rates significantly increase, including non-assisted suicide rates in some cases. Further, per the Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford University; "No study has found a reduction in non-assisted suicide" rates where MAID is legal. Data outlined by the Centre for Economic Policy Research show that assisted suicide laws increase total suicide rates by 18% overall and by 40% for women, with non-assisted suicide rates rising by 6% overall and 13% for women.

According to recent statistical analysis on suicide in the United States, U.S. suicide rates reached “record highs” in 2024, “rates reaching levels not seen since 1941.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report suicide “deaths among 10-24 year olds increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021.” Research released during the summer of 2024 by the Yale School of Medicine “found that suicide is rising dramatically in preteens as young as 8 years old,” with an “8.2% annual increase from 2008 to 2022.” The suicide rate in NY has increased by “34.9% over the past 20 years.” NY’s Office of Mental Health states suicide is the “2nd leading cause of death for ages 25-34” and the “3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-24.”

“As thinking, loving people how can we do anything but work to decrease rates of suicide?” states Sterlace-Accorsi. “ How could we possibly enact laws that serve to increase lethal harm to our brothers and sisters?” she asks.

Further, Lester contends that qualifying restrictions in NY’s pending MAID bills will more likely than not be grossly expanded. “The slippery slope is real,” Lester states. “Canada has since been exposed for providing MAID to citizens who simply could not afford their medical bills or housing and the nation is poised to expand physician assisted suicide for mental illness in March of 2027. MAID is now a leading cause of death in Canada,” she adds.