On October 5th Governor Jerry Brown of California signed the End of Life Option Act into law. Assembly Bill No. 15 would permit Californians in certain circumstances to deliberately end their life with the assistance of a physician.
The governor issued a signing statement explaining his support for the new law. "I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain," he writes. "I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn't deny that right to others."
The law is closely modeled on Oregon's own assisted suicide law. In their decision, California lawmakers pointed to the 2014 decision of Brittany Maynard, a California resident with terminal brain cancer, to move to Oregon where she would have the option to take life-ending drugs.
The law will take effect 91 days after the conclusion of the current legislative session , sometime in 2016. The law is set to expire in 10 years unless renewed.
Oregon's law is titled the "Death with Dignity Act" and is administered by the Public Health Authority. You can get more information about the act on their website.
If you are interested in more information about assisted suicide, PBS ran a Frontline program titled "The Suicide Plan" that is available to watch for free through their website. They also have a excellent section where 6 experts wrote responses to the program.
No comments:
Post a Comment