WELCOME — ABOUT US
Death is hard to think about, and it’s hard to talk about. Death with Dignity–Albany was founded in 2015 to make it easier for people to talk about end-of-life issues, to learn more about their options, and to make plans to ensure that their wishes are honored when the time comes. We believe that everyone deserves to have a dignified, peaceful death.
We are an independent, local, grassroots group whose mission is to provide a forum for education and advocacy. We are based in Albany, NY and serve the Capital Region of New York State and beyond.
In past years, we held in-person meetings to hear from guest speakers with expertise in legal, ethical, social, and legislative aspects of end-of-life matters. These meetings allowed supporters of death with dignity to meet and talk with other supporters and advocates. Beginning in 2020, our meetings have shifted mostly to an online format.
We are part of the New York Alliance for Medical Aid in Dying, whose members are working to enact medical aid in dying legislation in this state.
Advocacy for Medical Aid in Dying
Since the Medical Aid in Dying Act was passed by the Assembly on April 29, attention has shifted to getting the bill passed by the Senate. The current legislative session is scheduled to end on June 12, so there is enough time for that to happen.
However, the support of several Senators needs to be firmed up or developed. Groups opposing the bill are becoming more active. For that reason, continued active advocacy is necessary. There are three avenues for this:
Come to the Capitol. Lobby days at the Capitol will continue every week when the legislature is in session, with details to be announced. Our presence is widely noted, and enhancing this will have a positive effect.
Links to the C&C sign-up page for each individual event are available HERE.
Call Your Senator. Calling your own Senator is vital in getting and firming up their support. In the greater Capital Region, only Senator Hinchey is a cosponsor. Senator Fahy (518-455-2225) needs to hear from constituents over and over again to assure that she will do the right thing. Republican Senators Ashby, Stec, Tedisco, and Walczyk should hear from supporters so that they know that their current lack of support is out of line with their constituents. Senator Oberacker needs to hear support for the bill from his constituents.
Call other Supporters. Many people around the state have indicated their support for the bill but they are not active. A phone-banking system has been set up by Compassion & Choices for several Senate districts so that you can call supporters in these districts and ask them to call their Senators to express their support. To get involved in this very important activity, contact Francesca Triest (ftriest@compassionandchoices.org) .
For more information, see our Advocacy webpage