Staten Island senator appears on ‘Dr. Phil’ show, advocates for medical aid in dying

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York’s proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act was recently brought again to the national stage.

Staten Island State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, the act’s prime co-sponsor, joined the in-studio conversation that was filmed in Texas in mid-June.

The state senator decided to appear on the show because the measure “really deserves to get a lot more traction.”

“This is not a partisan issue. It‘s not Democrat [versus] Republican. It’s not left versus right,” Scarcella-Spanton told the Advance/SILive.com “This is an issue that is about human beings, and human suffering. ... this is an emotional topic, but, again, I feel really strongly that we have the facts on our side and we have the stories to prove the importance of this [measure].”

It’s important to note, said Scarcella-Spanton, the proposed New York M.A.i.D. bill does not include a provision for those with chronic pain.

Since her appearance on the show — episodes aired on Oct. 23 and 24 — the state senator has received messages of support from Staten Islanders and beyond.

“People support it, and we just need to get more people to understand this is not something controversial,” she said. “... If this is something that you are opposed to, and you are not comfortable doing, by all means, don’t use it. There are so many things that we legislate that don’t necessarily fall perfectly in line with everybody’s belief system, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it.”

Scarcella-Spanton, who is up for reelection on Tuesday, said New York’s M.A.i.D. Act will be reintroduced “without a shadow of a doubt” come the new session in January.

“I think it’s really important, and [getting this passed is] something that would impact a lot of people.”

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