New York governor says she has reached a deal to legalize medically assisted suicide

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday that she has reached a deal with state legislative leaders to approve a bill to give terminally ill people the legal ability to end their own lives with prescribed medication. In an op-ed in the Albany Times Union, Hochul said she supports the proposal but has made an agreement with lawmakers to include “guardrails” in the measure before she signs it into law. Hochul, a Catholic, said she came to the decision after hearing from New Yorkers in the “throes of pain and suffering,” as well as their children, while also considering opposition from “individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life.”