To the editor:

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) allows a mentally competent adult, with a terminal diagnosis and a prognosis of less than six months to live, to request medication from his/her physician to peacefully end their life.

Legislation legalizing MAID in New York state will be introduced next year to our legislature for the eighth time. You can learn more about this important bill at the First Presbyterian Church in Saranac Lake at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 16 in a community conversation lead by Compassion and Choices NY/NJ Campaign Director Corinne Carry.

This end of life option was first legalized in Oregon in 1994 (Death with Dignity Act) and is now available in 10 states and Washington, D.C., comprising approximately one quarter of the US population. There is a total of over 80 state-years of experience with MAID and there has been no credible account of abuse or coercion.

The New York legislation has multiple safeguards and is widely supported by a majority of New Yorkers across all demographics and by its physicians. A 2020 Gallop Pole showed 74% of Americans are in favor of this option. Though actually used by few, in those jurisdictions where available, MAID gives peace of mind to many patients and families facing the realities of imminent death. Though hospice and palliative care does a wonderful job of reducing suffering at the end of life, it cannot meet the needs of all people.

Jay Federman

Saranac Lake