Advocates of physician-assisted suicide are hoping California Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., will sign a bill allowing doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients with lethal drugs upon request.
Brown hasn’t said whether he’ll approve the bill, which the state Senate passed Friday by a vote of 23 to 14. If he did, it would make California the fifth state to allow physicians to prescribe life-ending medications to some patients. Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont also allow physician-assisted suicide.
The controversial bill bumped up against several roadblocks during the legislative session, when some lawmakers including Democrats from southern California wouldn’t support it. But it also appeared to be gaining broader acceptance among doctors, when the California Medical Association switched its position from opposing physician-assisted suicide to neutral on the matter.
If Brown signs the bill, it will be a major victory for advocates who worked to have similar bills introduced around the country this year but saw few of them advance.
“I thank our legislature for responding to the voices of terminally ill Californians who are pleading for the option of medical aid in dying,” said Compassion & Choices Campaign Director Toni Broaddus. “We urge Gov. Brown to sign this bill to give them this option to die peacefully if their end-of-life suffering is too great to endure.”
If Brown doesn’t take action at all, the bill will become law within 30 days.
