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.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Thursday affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit that sought to undermine California’s legal definition of ‘brain death’ as ‘death.’ In 2018, Compassion & Choices filed an amicus brief in the case, Jonee Fonseca et al v. Karen Smith et al, defending California’s legal definition…
La Corte de Apelaciones del Noveno Circuito de Estados Unidos, afirmó la desestimación de una demanda en el Tribunal Inferior, que buscaba quebrantar la definición legal en California de “muerte cerebral” como “muerte”. En el 2018, Compassion & Choices presentó un amicus brief o escrito amicus en el caso Jonee Fonseca et al v. Karen…
Michael Saum always knew he was going to die from the massive tumor that invaded his brain. But he never imagined dying alone. Michael, 40, died August 6 at midnight at a rehab center in Southern California, where he lived for the last four years. In March, the facility was forced to shut their doors…
Compassion & Choices says that a new report on California’s law that allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults to use medical aid in dying to peacefully end their suffering shows that more people are using the law, but it needs to be easier to access. The California Department of Public Health released a report Tuesday…
As protests for racial justice in Portland continue and new images of the federal response emerge, I want to express my concern for the safety of the many Compassion & Choices staff, supporters, volunteers and allies who live there. Please know that we are thinking of you during this tumultuous time. As a mom myself,…
This month, Hawaii and California departments of health released 2019 annual reports on their respective medical aid-in-dying laws. These reports provide data on how many people utilized medical aid in dying, how many doctors wrote prescriptions and other critical information related to the medical practice. In the first full year of Hawaii’s Our Care, Our…
As a primary care physician in Los Angeles, Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras has been dedicated to providing care to vulnerable populations within the Watts and Skid Row areas of the city since early in his career. Then two years ago, while practicing at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, he stepped up to fill a different but no less…
Pride month may be over, but our commitment to equity at the end of life for everyone is not. This year, Compassion & Choices is celebrating Pride across California virtually. In San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego, we are spreading awareness about the California End of Life Option Act. Our Public Service Announcements…
Compassion & Choices dice que un nuevo informe sobre la ley de ayuda médica para morir de California, muestra que más personas están utilizando la medida que permite a los adultos con enfermedades terminales en pleno uso de sus facultades mentales, utilizarla para terminar pacíficamente con su sufrimiento. Sin embargo, dicha ley debe ser más…
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