Federal lawsuit filed to block New York’s Medical Aid in Dying law
Plaintiffs say the law discriminates against people with life-threatening disabilities and exposes them to pressure from doctors, hospitals and insurers.
- On Thursday, disability advocates and plaintiffs filed federal lawsuits in New York and Illinois to block medical aid-in-dying laws, alleging the statutes violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 14th Amendment.
- Plaintiffs contend these laws create a "deadly and discriminatory system" by offering lethal prescriptions instead of equal access to support services that nondisabled people receive.
- Joining the suits, quadriplegic plaintiff Ebony Payne and cerebral palsy advocate Pam Heavens cited personal struggles with inadequate medical support and feared the laws pressure vulnerable patients prematurely.
- With New York's law effective August 5 and Illinois' implementation set for September, advocates seek immediate injunctions to halt these measures before they take effect.
- While New York officials defend the legislation as reflecting "years of thoughtful planning," critics emphasize ongoing Medicaid cuts and home care worker shortages leaving disabled people without resources to live independently.
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10 Articles
Disability patients sue New York to stop doctor-assisted suicide law
A coalition advocating for patients with disabilities filed federal lawsuits Thursday to invalidate New York and Illinois' controversial doctor-assisted suicide laws for allegedly treating the terminally ill as "disposable."
Disability rights advocates file lawsuit over Illinois’ ‘dangerous’ right-to-die law – Chicago Sun-Times
The lawsuits, filed in Illinois and New York Thursday, contend the legislation “discriminates against people with disabilities by singling them out for lethal prescriptions rather than providing equal access to the care, support, and suicide prevention services offered to those perceived as non- or less disabled,” according to the End Assisted Suicide coalition.
Lake Geneva News
Columbus TelegramDisability groups file federal lawsuits in New York and Illinois challenging assisted suicide laws
Fourth and fifth federal suits in national campaign target dangerous state policies for failing to provide suicide prevention services to all, regardless of disability
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