By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania
SACRAMENTO, CA, United States of America — California Gov. Jerry Brown signed “right-to-die” legislation on Monday that will allow the terminally ill to legally end their lives. California has joined four other states that allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives with a doctor’s supervision.
The California legislation is modeled after the Death with Dignity law passed by Oregon voters in 1994, which made that state the first in the nation to allow some terminally ill patients to choose the time of their own death.
In a rare personal message, Gov. Jerry Brown provided insight into his deliberations before deciding to sign the bill, reflecting on religion and self-determination as he weighed an emotionally fraught choice.
“In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death,” said Gov. Brown. “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.” Gov. Brown has previously been treated for prostate cancer and melanoma.
Brown’s signature on the right-to-die legislation Monday capped an intensely personal debate that dominated much of this year’s legislative session and divided lawmakers. Many lawmakers also drew on personal experience to explain their decisions to support or reject legislation making California the fifth state to allow terminally ill patients to use doctor-prescribed drugs to end their lives.
The measure applies only to mentally sound people and not those who are depressed or impaired. The bill includes requirements that patients be physically capable of taking the medication themselves, that two doctors approve it, that the patients submit several written requests and that there be two witnesses, one of whom is not a family member.
Supporters hope that adoption of right-to-die legislation in the nation’s most populous state will spur approval elsewhere, although legislation introduced this year in at least two dozen other states stalled. Opponents said Monday that they were disappointed the governor relied so heavily on his personal experience in his decision and that they were considering options to stop it.
Among those opposed to the law are religious groups and advocates for people with disabilities, who worry it could open the door to all kinds of terrible scenarios, such as premature suicide, coerced early death and overriding God’s will.
At the center of the debate was Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman with brain cancer who drew national attention for her decision to move to Oregon to end her life. Prior to Ms. Maynard taking her own life, she told California lawmakers that the terminally ill should not have to “leave their home and community for peace of mind, to escape suffering and to plan for a gentle death.”
For more information, please see:
ABC News — Gov. Brown Signs California Right-to-Die Measure – 6 October 2015
CNN — California governor signs ‘right to die’ bill – 6 October 2015
BBC News — California enacts right-to-die law for terminally ill – 5 October 2015
WebMD — CA Governor Signs Right-to-Die Bill Into Law – 5 October 2015
