Among more than one hundred pieces of legislation awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature or veto is a bill that would give terminally ill New Yorkers the option of a carefully managed death. As I come within a decade of my own life expectancy, it is increasingly clear to me why enacting this legislation is important.

The fact that Medical Aid in Dying is already legal in a dozen states, but not in New York, runs contrary to our history of leading on major societal issues. We were out front on suffrage, reproductive rights and marriage equality -- just to name a few issues that were once too controversial to touch.

Medical Aid in Dying was on the docket for a decade before majorities in the 2025 legislative session finally enacted a carefully crafted bill that gives this compassionate option to New Yorkers who are of sound mind and within about six months of certain death.

Why has passing this bill been so difficult? Experts in medicine and psychiatry generally support the cautious terms of the version of the bill before the governor. There are some disability advocates who fear a slippery slope toward broader application of euthanasia, but protections are in place to avoid that scenario.

The primary opposition has come from religious groups, as has been the case with most proposed legislation involving the rights of women and the LGBTQ communities. While respecting the prerogative of every religious group to its own orthodoxy, the imposition of religious beliefs on society is not consistent with the fundamental values of American democracy.

In his most recent book, “Taking Manhattan,” historian Russell Shorto describes how an early commitment to tolerance and religious freedom was responsible for New York’s competitive edge when it comes to attracting diverse talent and prolific entrepreneurial activity. Shorto recounts how the Dutch merchants who set up shop in Manhattan some 400 years ago brought with them the enlightened pragmatism and commitment to personal freedom that evolved into a unique feature of American democracy. In contrast to the sectarian interests that dominated in the early settlements in Boston and Virginia, New York was open to all and imposed no judgments based on religion.

Why is this a matter relevant to the business community of New York? Our status as a global center of finance and innovation depends on New York being a place that welcomes all and grants its residents freedom of choice and expression. Today, terminally ill New Yorkers who wish to avoid end of life suffering for themselves and their loved ones have no choice. Medical Aid in Dying legislation should be adopted as written, without adding conditions that make it difficult or impossible to exercise this option.

Kathryn Wylde is the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.