California Senators Introduce Right to Die Bill

Despite wide support among the population, physician-assisted suicide remains illegal in California. 

Yet when Brittany Maynard brought the issue front and center, saying she had moved to Oregon from California so that she could legally end her life before her brain cancer could cause debilitating pain, several California legislators were emboldened to reintroduce the issue. 

The new bill that was recently introduced by State Senators Bill Monning and Lois Wolk, and closely follows the Oregon  “Death with Dignity” Act.  It would allow a person with a terminal disease and a prognosis of death within six months to obtain a physician’s prescription for a lethal dose of medication.  Although there are details within the bill that need to be amended, overall, this is an important piece of legislation that will allow Californians to determine their personal medical destinies. 

See The Times Editorial Board, Californians Deserve the Right to Die With Dignity, LA Times, Jan. 19, 2015.