California Considering “Right To Die” Legislation
Sacramento, CA — Legislators are determining if terminally ill patients have the right to prematurely terminate their lives with medication.
Oregon voters adopted similar legislation in 1998 with the passage of the state´s Death and Dignity Act. 38 Oregonians ended their lives with the use of medication last year.
According to Assembly Bill 651, the patient must be of sound mind who has six months or less to live. Diagnosis of the terminal illness must be confirmed by two certified physicians. A recent survey shows that two out of every three Californians agree with the right to end their life given an irreversible, terminal condition.
Should AB-651 become law, Caifornia would becomd the first state in the nation to have a right-to-die law enacted by the legislature.
Written by Bill Johnson
