Imagine dialing 911 in a life-or-death moment, only to learn that state bureaucrats decided your loved one wasn’t worth saving.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is holding Gov. Kathy Hochul’s feet to the fire over a controversial do-not-resuscitate directive from April 17-20, 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis, demanding to know how many New Yorkers may have lost their lives due to this fleeting but fateful policy, as the New York Post reports.
For everyday families and frontline EMS workers, this isn’t just a political spat -- it’s a gut punch, with potential medical impacts like preventable deaths hanging in the balance.
Back in the chaotic early days of the pandemic, New York issued a shocking order instructing EMS workers not to revive patients without a pulse.
This wasn’t some obscure guideline; it marked a sharp break from the state Department of Health’s long-standing rule of attempting resuscitation for at least 20 minutes.
Weeks prior, the Regional Emergency Services Council of New York had already signaled that cardiac arrest patients whose hearts couldn’t restart on-site shouldn’t even be taken to overwhelmed hospitals.
Implemented on April 17, 2020, the directive lasted just three days before public and professional outrage forced its reversal on April 20.
Officials at the time claimed it was to “protect the health and safety of EMS providers” by limiting exposure to the virus, but that justification didn’t sit well with many.
Thanks to a report by the New York Post, the public got wind of this policy, and the backlash was swift and fierce.
Now, Stefanik is asking the tough questions: How many New Yorkers in cardiac arrest were denied life-saving efforts during those three days?
She’s pressing Hochul for specifics -- which counties followed the order, how many EMS calls were made, and whether lives could have been saved without this directive.
“It is not the role of politicians and bureaucrats in Albany to play God and decide who deserves to live or die when a New Yorker dials 911 for help,” Stefanik declared, cutting to the heart of conservative frustration with overreaching mandates.
Stefanik isn’t letting Hochul off the hook, pointing out that as lieutenant governor under Andrew Cuomo in 2020, Hochul was likely aware of the discussions behind this policy.
A representative for Hochul pushed back, stating, “While serving as Lieutenant Governor under the previous administration, Governor Hochul had no role in issuing this directive.”
That defense might sound tidy, but for taxpayers skeptical of Albany’s inner workings, it’s hard to believe Hochul was completely in the dark on such a consequential decision.
