Gov. Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act on Monday, making California the fifth state to grant terminally ill patients the right to end their lives with the help of a doctor. The law will go into effect next year, according to San Jose Mercury News.
"The crux of the matter is whether the State of California should continue to make it a crime for a dying person to end his life, no matter how great his pain or suffering," Brown, a lifelong Catholic and Jesuit seminarian, said in a signing statement that accompanied his signature, reported The Associated Press. "In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death. I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill."
Under the law, terminally ill patients will be allowed to seek medical assistance in ending their lives, as long as two doctors have confirmed the patient only has six months or less to live, and the patent submits a written request as well as two oral requests at least 15 days apart. Patients must also be physically capable of making their own health care decisions and taking medication themselves. The patient is typically prescribed a deadly dose of barbiturates such as Seconal, according to San Jose Mercury News.
Religious groups and advocates for people with disabilities opposed the bill strongly, making the point the law would essentially violate the will of God by legalizing suicide and could result in terminally ill patients being coerced into killing themselves.
Oregon, Montana, Vermont and Washington also allow similar practices, while an aid-in-dying case is being disputed in the New Mexico Supreme Court, according to the Huffington Post.
