Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul attacked Republicans for their budget bill that aims to rein in wasteful and fraudulent federal spending. “I believe that we should try to prevent our constituents from dying,” she declared.
Now, just two weeks later, New Yorkers have proof that these words from Hochul’s lips are a cruel lie.
My heart shatters for our state: Hochul’s gutless silence on the so-called assisted suicide bill passed by Albany’s far-left Democrats isn’t just cowardice; it’s a betrayal of every New Yorker clinging to hope, a dagger in the backs of the vulnerable she swore to protect.
In the last days of this year’s legislative session, New York state Senate Democrats forced through a despicable measure, in a 35-27 vote, empowering doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to the terminally ill.
This isn’t “dignity” or “choice,” but a death sentence cloaked in deception, telling our elderly, our disabled and our sick that their lives aren’t worth fighting for.
The bill now sits on Hochul’s desk, and where is she?
Hiding. Silent. Dodging with a spineless “she’ll review the legislation” statement from her team.
All while families of all political and spiritual backgrounds, all across New York, weep at the thought of our state allowing companies to profit off death.
Hochul’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. New York ranks dead last in access to palliative care, a compassionate lifeline that eases suffering and restores dignity for the terminally ill.
Palliative care envelops patients in holistic support to manage pain and address emotional and spiritual needs, and it helps families navigate the unthinkable.
It’s doctors and nurses sitting bedside, listening to fears and crafting plans that honor life. It’s the hand squeezed during a sleepless night, the reassurance that no one faces the end alone.
Yet in Hochul’s New York, only a fraction of those who need palliative services can access them — leaving the suffering to beg for comfort while leftist Democrats under her watch push a culture of death and despair.
This failure compounds a broader crisis caused by Kathy Hochul’s worthless leadership.
One in five New Yorkers battles mental illness yearly, and hundreds of thousands go untreated. Those who live with disabilities are crushed by a cruel bureaucratic maze, worsened by Hochul’s heartless overhaul of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, which put the desires of politically connected contractors over the needs of suffering families and caregivers.
Again and again, her policies destroy hope for those in need — and yet she stands mute and inept as her party peddles a bill that whispers “Give up” to a depressed veteran, tells a grandmother with cancer “You’re a burden” and screams to a disabled New Yorker, “Your life isn’t worth saving.”
It’s anti-human, it’s anti-American, and it’s a betrayal of the values that bind us as New Yorkers.
Hochul’s silence here speaks volumes, and it isn’t indecision but complicity, trading vulnerable lives for political points with her far-left Democrat base.
New Yorkers are heartbroken and furious. Under Hochul’s catastrophic reign, crime surges, costs crush families, corruption festers — and now the sanctity of life itself is under assault.
People are fleeing to Florida and other states, driven out by the worst governor in America who fails them at every turn.
Hochul has the power to veto this moral travesty. She could champion life by investing in palliative care that wraps the suffering in dignity and love.
Instead, her silence screams surrender.
I won’t stay silent. My heart burns for the mother praying for one more day with her child, for the disabled New Yorker fighting for respect, for every soul this bill would discard.
New York needs real leadership — robust palliative-care programs, accessible mental-health services and dignified support for the disabled — not a state-encouraged push toward the grave.
In 2026, New Yorkers will reject this failed governor at the ballot box and restore principled leadership that cherishes every life.
Kathy Hochul, the clock is ticking. Veto this bill or you’ll be remembered as the governor who truly let hope die.
New Yorkers are watching — and we won’t forget.
Republican Elise Stefanik represents New York’s 21st District in Congress.