State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, of Scarsdale, is again fighting for legislation that would allow people with terminal illnesses to end their lives.
She is hopeful, despite opposition over the nine years since she first introduced it. In an interview with News 12, she discussed why the issue has become personal to her.
Paulin’s sister, Jane Scheinfeld, fought ovarian cancer and suffered pain in the final weeks of her life.
“When the cancer reoccurred, she was told it was just a matter of time,” Paulin said during the Zoom interview.
Paulin sponsored the first version of the bill in 2015, months before her sister died.
“We still remember her crying out in pain, ‘When am I going to die already?'” Paulin said. “We still remember her wish for us to be there when she died, and neither were possible.”
Paulin’s bill would allow people suffering terminal illnesses to end their lives by self-administering a drug. To be eligible, two doctors must examine the patient and conclude the patient is within six months of death and mentally competent.