Terminally ill Californians can now exercise their right to die with dignity.
On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act into law, just a few weeks after the state Assembly and Senate approved the bill in a special session.
California is the fifth U.S. state to authorize aid in dying — also known as physician-assisted suicide — and by far the biggest and most influential.
The California law is similar to the one operating in Oregon since l988.
It is what is known as a ‘prescribing law’ permitting doctors under guidelines to write a prescription for a lethal substance which the dying patient may choose to ingest at a time of their choosing.
Euthanasia — death by lethal injection — is specifically banned.
A solid step forward for the state and the government. Hope other places can learn and develop through this. It would certainly be interesting as well whether such a big state can cope up with the pressure of such a major social issue.