For many months now, I have been waiting for New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which went through all of the steps necessary to become a law. There is just one step left, and Hochul seems to be a coward as it has been sitting on her desk gathering dust.
As the name suggests, the act would make it legal for doctors to prescribe lethal medications for mentally sound persons with a terminal illness or other qualifying condition. If Hochul were to sign the bill, and it would be political suicide to not sign, our state would join 11 other states.
I am a supporter of taking control of our destiny. To that end, I have a legally valid DNR and MOLST order that is on me at all times, along with the legally required bracelet that alerts first responders to the fact that no life-saving measures are to be taken. That is my right and I went through all of the steps with eyes wide open. I had to go through a lengthy process before my doctor signed off on it.
I have several conditions that would qualify me for medical aid in dying, but I, and people like me, am at the mercy of a governor whose cowardice is making countless people such as myself and those with much more serious conditions suffer. Maybe one of the reasons that she’s refusing to do anything because she, like me, is Catholic. She cannot, however, force her religious conviction upon the state’s millions of residents.
Now, I get it. The Medical Aid in Dying Act is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church. As a Catholic, I should not be supporting this act and I should not use it should it become law. However, I do support it, and if it does become law, I will go through the steps necessary to make it happen. That’s how serious my conditions are.
By virtue of my DNR and MOLST, nothing is to be done to save my life. Outside of the hospital, that means first responders are not to even attempt CPR, AED nor anything else. Once I’m in the hospital, my standing orders are that any attempts to save my life should not be taken. Furthermore, the hospitals are restrained from doing anything whatsoever other than to give “comfort care.”
When I say that the hospitals must do nothing, I mean it. No intubation efforts. No CPR. No AED. No feeding tube. None of that. Basically, doctors and nurses are to stand down and allow for a natural death. Comfort care is the only care that they are allowed to give, and that’s only because the law won’t let me go without it.
I’m all set. If I’m outside of the hospital setting, all the EMT personnel can do is transport me to the hospital and designate me DOA. From that point, the hospital takes over and once they see my MOLST, that’s it. The show’s over. And that’s just the way that I want it.
Now when it comes to suicide, I am not a suicidal person. I was not in mental crisis when those documents were properly signed. I am not in mental crisis now. Most people who are awaiting Hochul’s pen are likewise not in crisis. They just want a humane end to their suffering. I’m talking about people with, for example, terminal cancer.
There is nothing that can be done for them nor other terminal patients, so why prolong their suffering? Assistance in dying is the humane thing to do for them. It is the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do for me.
I have several conditions, as I stated, that I believe qualify me for this option should Hochul step up and do the right thing. Her past performance makes me nervous as she and the right thing are rarely in harmony with one another. I am mentally competent and I am capable of self-administering the medication that would end my life.
I, like hundreds of thousands of my fellow New Yorkers, await Hochul’s signature. If she signs this into law, then countless people who qualify will be able to put an end to their lives. For me, and for most others, it is not about suicide. After all, if I really wanted to commit suicide, I damn sure would have done it by now.
No, this is about a humane and practical way to end human suffering. I understand that this puts me at odds with my religion, but this is the right thing for me and it is absolutely the right thing for others, others whose suffering is far greater than mine. And speaking of my faith, my priest is okay with the DNR and MOLST, but objected to the elimination of a feeding tube. I forget his reasoning, but I get it. However, I have to make the decision that’s right for me.
All we can do at this point is sit back and wait. But I will tell you this: if this actually happens, if this becomes law, then I will immediately make the phone calls and get the ball rolling. Until then, people such as myself just have to wait in misery. Maybe that’s what Hochul wants.