California

Status of Medical Aid in Dying

The California End of Life Option Act went into effect on June 9, 2016. This compassionate option allows for an eligible terminally ill adult, with a prognosis of six months or less to live, to request and receive a prescription form their doctor that they can self-ingest to peacefully end their suffering.

An improvement bill, SB 380, took effect in 2022. The Department of Public Health’s annual data report showed there was a 47% increase in Californians who used the law in 2022, increasing access to the law exactly as intended.

We will continue to work on reauthorizing this law, removing the sunset provision, and reducing barriers to access while ensuring safeguards remain intact.

The CDSS issued a notice to adult and senior care facilities about the End of Life Option Act. Residents who qualify for medical aid in dying living in assisted facilities and other adult or senior care facilities are able to take their medication in their home and can’t be evicted for choosing this option.

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Access California's form at CaringInfo

Find free advance directives and instructions for each state that can be opened as a PDF (Portable Document Format) file
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Additional Information

Schedule a Presentation: We’ll explain the full range of end-of-life options and explain step-by-step how the law works – in English and in Spanish.

Find resources in Spanish

Visit our End-of-Life Resource Center

California Stories

Latest California News

California Assembly Health Committee Clears Bill to Keep, Improve End of Life Option Act
June 22, 2021

(Sacramento, CA) Compassion & Choices Action Network today thanked the California State Assembly Health Committee for passing Senate Bill 380 by a vote of 10-3.  SB 380, co-authored by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), would improve access to the California End of Life Option Act and make it permanent. The bill now moves to the…

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End-of-Life Care Group Praises California Senate for Passing Bill to Keep and Improve California’s End of Life Option Act
May 28, 2021

(Sacramento, CA) Compassion & Choices Action Network today praised the California Senate for passing SB 380 (26-8), a bill that would improve access to California’s End of Life Option Act and make it permanent. Senate Bill 380, co-authored by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Asm. Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), now moves to the California State Assembly. The End…

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Supporter Spotlight: Barbara Meislin 
May 26, 2021

Barbara Meislin, widely and affectionately known around the San Francisco Bay Area as “the Purple Lady,” is the award-winning author of No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow, a singer/songwriter, French teacher and healer through music with groups like The Threshold Choir, which brings bedside music to the terminally ill. But the focal point of…

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Grupo de Defensa Aplaude al Comité Judicial del Senado por Aprobar Medida que Mantiene, Mejora Ley de Opción de Fin de Vida de California
April 20, 2021

(Sacramento, CA) Compassion & Choices Action Network aplaudió hoy al Comité Judicial del Senado del Estado de California por su apoyo, al pasar la Medida 380 fuera del Comité y acercarla para su aprobación. La Senadora Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) y el Asambleísta Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), son coautores de la SB 380.  Dicha medida…

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Advocacy Group Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee for Passage of Legislation to Keep and Improve California’s End of Life Option Act
April 20, 2021

(Sacramento, CA) Compassion & Choices Action Network today applauded the California State Senate Judiciary Committee for their support in moving Senate Bill 380 out of committee and closer to passage. SB 380, co-authored by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Asm. Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), would improve access to the California End of Life Option Act and make it permanent. The…

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Advocacy Group Applauds Senate Health Committee for Passage of Legislation Support to Keep and Improve California’s End of Life Option Act
March 24, 2021

(Sacramento, CA) Compassion & Choices Action Network today applauded the Senate Health Committee for their support in moving Senate Bill 380 out of committee and closer to passage. SB 380 would improve access to the California End of Life Option Act and make it permanent. The Senate Health Committee approved the measure in a 8-1…

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