Right-To-Die Bill Passes In California

rockin'robin

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The "death with dignity" movement marked a victory in California Friday when the state Senate passed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to end their own lives with the help of a physician.

The End of Life Option Act, which passed in the state Assembly Wednesday, would allow patients to seek aid-in-dying options so long as they are given six months or less to live by two doctors, submit a written request and two oral requests at least 15 days apart and possess the mental capacity to make their own health care decisions.

Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who attended a Jesuit seminary prior to his political career, has yet to indicate whether he will sign the bill into law.

The bill was inspired by Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old San Francisco Bay Area resident who became the public face of the "death with dignity" movement after she was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. After discovering her diagnosis was terminal, Maynard moved to Oregon, where it's long been legal for doctors to help patients end their own lives. Maynard died Nov. 1, 2014

"I am heartbroken that I had to leave behind my home, my community and my friends in California. But I am dying and I refuse to lose my dignity. I refuse to subject myself and my family to purposeless, prolonged pain and suffering at the hands of an incurable disease," Maynard said in a video message to lawmakers recorded a few weeks before her death. "No one should have to leave their home and community for peace of mind, to escape suffering and to plan for a gentle death."

Maynard also personally lobbied Brown during a telephone conversation the week before her death.

A version of the bill was first introduced earlier this year and initially appeared to be on the path for passage. The California Medical Association dropped its opposition to the bill, marking a major breakthrough, and the bill passed in the state Senate in June. But before it could be brought to a vote in the Assembly, lawmakers abandoned the bill in committee amid opposition from the Catholic church as well as disability rights advocacy groups.

Last month, supporters of the bill reintroduced the legislation during a special legislative session on health care, adding a sunset provision so that the bill will expire in 10 years unless legislators vote to extend it. The bill passed in committee by a 10-2 vote before going on to the full legislative body for consideration.

The bill's fate now rests with Brown, who has until Oct. 11 to sign or veto the legislation. If signed into law, it will go into effect next year.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...bae4b002d5c078cd6b?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063
 
Good.
The only plm i see is the industry that will grow around it..as long as the keys arent controled by white coated docs and companies and its left to the individual....
Then good
The other way is a nightmare in the making...
 
Agreed... GOOD! While most people can be put on pallatative care and given major painkillers, there are still some people for whom this is appropreaite....As long as there is a safety net in place to insure against abuses, this is a good option.....
 
Agreed, its a good start. Even though suicide is illegal, the problem is its enforced only by a paper and won't stop anyone from breaking that paper and often the problem with breaking law is that it could complicate consequence, perhaps inhumane way, like some cases where somebody tried to kill themselves with shotgun only to remain alive with half face gone.
 
Agreed, its a good start. Even though suicide is illegal, the problem is its enforced only by a paper and won't stop anyone from breaking that paper and often the problem with breaking law is that it could complicate consequence, perhaps inhumane way, like some cases where somebody tried to kill themselves with shotgun only to remain alive with half face gone.

I could never understand why suicide is illegal , how can it be a crime to kill yourself ??? I can understand homicide being illegal but not suicide .

I feel if someone if going to dies within 6 weeks or so and in a lot of pain
they should be able to end their life without needing to go through all this red tape.
 
Suicide being a crime has more to do with criminalizing those who help then any idea about the actual individual commiting suicide.

people have been charged not just for helping someone commit suicide but also for encourging it..a case in the courts right now of a teen who said "just do it" via txt to her boyfriend, and he did...she was chaged
 
Suicide being a crime has more to do with criminalizing those who help then any idea about the actual individual commiting suicide.

people have been charged not just for helping someone commit suicide but also for encourging it..a case in the courts right now of a teen who said "just do it" via txt to her boyfriend, and he did...she was chaged

Interesting...
 
Suicide being a crime has more to do with criminalizing those who help then any idea about the actual individual commiting suicide.

people have been charged not just for helping someone commit suicide but also for encourging it..a case in the courts right now of a teen who said "just do it" via txt to her boyfriend, and he did...she was chaged
That's true.
 
That's true.

I had to report 2 of my clients that wanted to commit suicide when I was a health aide. I was coving for another health aide and when I asked my client what she wanted help with , she asked me if I could "Kill her " she had all kind of pills lined up in front of her . I called my office and reported this to my supervisor and she called the psych nurse, I did the same for the other client too. If they had done anything after I left I would had been the last person to see them alive so I had to cover my ass or lose risk losing my job.
 
I had to report 2 of my clients that wanted to commit suicide when I was a health aide. I was coving for another health aide and when I asked my client what she wanted help with , she asked me if I could "Kill her " she had all kind of pills lined up in front of her . I called my office and reported this to my supervisor and she called the psych nurse, I did the same for the other client too. If they had done anything after I left I would had been the last person to see them alive so I had to cover my ass or lose risk losing my job.
Understandable.
 
Now the six million dollar question is whether Gov. Brown will sign it.
 
If he did, the late Dr Kevorkian may be happy about that. He's an advocate for right to die and assisted suicide.

Now the six million dollar question is whether Gov. Brown will sign it.
 
Now the six million dollar question is whether Gov. Brown will sign it.

I really hope he does. Brittany Maynard's family has worked so hard to get this passed.
 
Suicide being a crime has more to do with criminalizing those who help then any idea about the actual individual commiting suicide.

people have been charged not just for helping someone commit suicide but also for encourging it..a case in the courts right now of a teen who said "just do it" via txt to her boyfriend, and he did...she was chaged

Yes, it happened in my area. My friend KNEW the guy who killed himself?!??!?!
 
If he did, the late Dr Kevorkian may be happy about that. He's an advocate for right to die and assisted suicide.

UGH..... Kevorkian was NOT a good guy.... He killed people whose ONLY issue was that they were depressed.
 
UGH..... Kevorkian was NOT a good guy.... He killed people whose ONLY issue was that they were depressed.

The people came to Kevorkian he didn't go to them , they wanted to die.
Some people had nothing wrong with them and came to Kevorkian according to this web site. My mom lived to be 93 yo and she didn't enjoy it. She was very tired of living and told a friend this . I told my mom if she wanted to dies it was OK to go and a nurse from hospice care told me that was very kind of me to tell my mom this instead of making her feel guilty about wanting to die . I don't understand why people have such a big fear of death.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/14/kevorkian.gupta/
 
UGH..... Kevorkian was NOT a good guy.... He killed people whose ONLY issue was that they were depressed.

No, although he did help some people kill themselves who were depresses, he helped other people die who had late stage cancer, Lew Gehrigs disease or other terminal illnesses.
 
No, although he did help some people kill themselves who were depresses, he helped other people die who had late stage cancer, Lew Gehrigs disease or other terminal illnesses.

Yeah, I know.....but the thing is there wasn't the screening/safety measures in place, so he was helping people with relatively mild issues kill themselves...
I have very little to no beef with say "six month to live" people opting for something like this.....but something that can be and IS easily treated....that just seems to be like letting a person with high blood pressure go.....I firmly believe there needs to be a safety net/safety measures. ......I know things are complex but still...if a person has a condition where if it's treated and they can have a good quality of life, they shouldn't kill themselves.
 
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