Brooklyn, NY (June 12, 2026)

A coalition of disability and patient-rights advocates has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block New York’s assisted suicide law before it takes effect later this summer.

The legal challenge, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, argues that the law unlawfully discriminates against people with disabilities by offering lethal medication to terminally ill patients while failing to ensure equal access to care, support services, and suicide prevention resources. A similar lawsuit was also filed in Illinois, where a separate assisted suicide law is scheduled to take effect later this year.

New York’s law, set to begin Aug. 5, allows certain terminally ill adults who are expected to live less than six months to request medication from a physician to end their lives. State officials and supporters have framed the measure as an end-of-life option for mentally capable patients facing terminal illness.

Opponents argue the law creates serious risks for vulnerable patients, particularly those who may feel pressured by medical costs, inadequate home care, isolation, or lack of support. The lawsuit claims the policy violates federal disability protections, as well as constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process.

The New York case names several state officials and agencies as defendants, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state health commissioner, the State Board of Medicine, and the state mental health commissioner. The plaintiffs are asking the court to halt implementation and find the law unlawful.

The challenge comes shortly after New York released regulations outlining how the law would be carried out. Those rules include requirements for patient requests, medical review, and self-administration of the prescribed medication.

The issue has drawn intense debate across the state, with supporters saying the law provides dignity and control for terminally ill patients, while critics warn it could normalize assisted death for people who need better care, pain management, mental health support, and disability services.

The lawsuits in New York and Illinois are part of a broader national legal effort challenging assisted suicide laws in multiple states.

BREAKING: We have filed lawsuits in New York and Illinois challenging assisted suicide laws.

People with disabilities deserve equal protection under the law, not a two-tiered system that treats some suicides as tragedies and others as solutions.#EndAssistedSuicide pic.twitter.com/pIHtecnzIk

— End Assisted Suicide (@EndAsstSuicide) June 11, 2026