Governor Signs End of Life Option Act

By Terry Miller

Governor Jerry Brown said on Monday, the End of Life Option Act is not just any other piece of legislation: By definition, it is a matter of life and death. The controversial legislature has brought out numerous Republican critics, including state Senator Bob Huff who said:

“Let’s call this for what it really is: It’s not death with dignity. This is state-assisted death, physician-assisted death and relative-assisted death. Oncologists who treat cancer patients do not want the tag of “doctor of death”—they want to provide a cure, or at a minimum, hope for a cure. A doctor’s diagnosis is at best a guess—nothing is certain. Many patients go into depression when they hear their illness is terminal, but while depression is treatable, suicide—even if state sanctioned—is not. By signing this legislation, the governor ignores warnings from many physicians that patients facing end of life decisions may be subtly pressured to choose death rather than hold out hope for a cure.”

“The crux of the matter is whether the state of California should continue to make it a crime for a dying person to end his life,” Brown said in an unusual signing message, “no matter how great his pain and suffering.”

In the past, Brown had not indicated where he stood on the issue until he explained that his decision was personal, based on his reflections “on what I would want in the face of my own death.”

“I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain,” he wrote in the message, addressed to state Assembly members. “I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill.”

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