Compassionate Endings NJ

02/08/2026

Congratulations to New York for legalizing Medical Aid in Dying! The law will take effect on August 5th, 2026.

Dignity for New York!

Today, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law, making New York the 14th U.S. jurisdiction to legalize Death with Dignity!

From our CEO, Peg Sandeen: “As more states move forward in passing Death with Dignity laws, it’s clear that our fellow Americans believe in personal freedom.”

Read our press release: https://ow.ly/EBbi50Y8xPs

02/01/2026

This is a great article written by a physician who has been diagnosed with ALS.

A physician with ALS explains how medical aid in dying—often called assisted suicide—gave him peace and control at the end of life.

01/29/2026

Illinois has legalized Medical Aid in Dying, effective September 2026. CENJ's President was recently interviewed for this article about the new law.

This September, the End-of-life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (SB 1950), also named Deb’s law, will go into effect, legalizing Medical Aid in Dying in Illinois. Signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in December, the law seeks to add an option to end-of-life care supporters describe as compassionate...

01/17/2026

Currently, New Jersey law requires a 15-day waiting period for patients using Medical Aid in Dying. This amendment would allow this waiting period to be waived for patients who are not expected to survive for that long. It is an important and much-needed improvement to the law!

Exciting news! New Jersey introduced an amendment to its Death with Dignity law for this session, and they need your support. S710 would waive the 15 day waiting period if a physician determines with reasonable medical certainty that the patient is not expected to survive for 15 days.

The amendment is already in the hands of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee​, and we need YOUR help! Share this post so everyone in New Jersey knows to tell the committee to give S710 a public hearing by sending a letter to support terminally ill patients TODAY!

Share this news so those in New Jersey can take action on this amendment that would give terminally ill New Jerseyans better access to the law now! https://tinyurl.com/4njvbutv

01/02/2026

In NJ, it’s legal for doctors to help you die – unless you live in another state. Advocates – and the dying – from Delaware and Pennsylvania are fighting to change that.

12/12/2025

Congratulations to Illinois for passing their Medical Aid in Dying Bill! The law will become effective in September of 2026.

Illinois becomes 12th state to enact legislation to provide terminally ill patients with autonomy, dignity and peace at the end of their lives

12/03/2025

It's always great to see celebrities support Medical Aid in Dying!

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s parents, Luis A. Miranda Jr. and Luz Towns-Miranda, have been together for 47 years. Originally from Puerto Rico, New York has been their home for decades—it’s where their friends, their community, and their lives are rooted. And it’s also the place where, hopefully many decades from now, they hope to have the right to a peaceful, dignified death.

“We want to continue having choices until it’s time to say farewell to our “seres queridos,” or loved ones.”

In their new op-ed in City & State, Luis and Luz make a powerful case for passing New York’s medical aid-in-dying law. Public support has risen to 70%, and major organizations, including the Medical Society of the State of New York, the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, and the New York State Bar Association, have all endorsed the bill and urged its passage. Now, they are calling on Governor Hochul to sign this legislation into law.

Read their thoughtful and passionate op-ed here: https://tinyurl.com/ms2229v6

Photo: Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving to all from Compassionate Endings NJ!

10/13/2025

I voted yes for every New Yorker who may one day face a terminal diagnosis and who deserves the ability to choose their own path.

10/13/2025

"I have great respect for people who don't want to pursue Medical Aid in Dying because of their personal, religious or moral convictions, but I'd also suggest that they shouldn't impose those personal religious or moral convictions on the rest of New York."

This week, dozens of Death with Dignity advocates gathered at the New York State Capitol, urging Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law. Bill sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman Sigel and Assemblymember Amy Paulin share their thoughts on the awaited decision in this CBS Albany article: https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/as-california-makes-medical-aid-in-dying-permanent-legislation-still-pending-in-new-york

08/22/2025