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End-of-Life Options Access Project

Your Options, Protected and Expanded

Protecting and expanding access to existing end-of-life options and rights.

Medical Aid in Dying Initiative

  • Bluestein v. Scott, et al.: & Gideonse v. Brown, et al.: Successfully challenged the residency requirement in Vermont’s and Oregon’s medical aid in dying laws, opening up access to all who qualify regardless of where they live.

  • Christian Medical and Dental Associations, et al. v. Bonta, et al.: successfully defended California’s End of Life Option Act, securing a settlement that upheld patients’ access to medical aid in dying while preserving provider opt-out provisions—ensuring the law remains strong and accessible for those who need it.

  • Radcliffe v. Hawai‘i: Compassion & Choices’ legal team filed a groundbreaking lawsuit on behalf of terminally ill advocate John Radcliffe, challenging the criminalization of medical aid in dying in Hawai‘i; while the court dismissed the case, our concurrent legislative efforts succeeded when the state enacted the Our Care, Our Choice Act in 2018, legalizing medical aid in dying for qualified residents.

End-of-Life Options Protection Initiative

  • Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, et al. v. Hoser, et al.: successfully intervened to defend Vermont’s medical aid-in-dying law (Act 39) against a challenge by groups seeking to limit physicians’ obligations to inform patients of all end-of-life options, ensuring that patients retain the right to receive comprehensive information to make fully informed decisions.

  • United Spinal, et al. v. State of California, et al.: Defended California’s medical aid in dying law from a challenge brought by disability rights groups.

  • Ahn, et al. v. Hestrin: Successfully defended California’s End of Life Option Act against a prolonged legal challenge, ensuring that terminally ill Californians retain the right to access medical aid in dying.
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If you or someone you love is struggling to get the care you want and deserve, we are here to help. Call us today, or use our legal intake form.

Note: We are not a general legal services provider. We focus on legal issues specifically related to end-of-life care and patient autonomy.

Our Team

Our experienced team of litigators work closely with our pro bono counsel to enforce and expand the rights of terminally ill people. Through our work in the courts, we fight to ensure that everyone can receive high-quality end-of-life care that is in line with their values, wishes and beliefs. In every case we are involved in, Compassion & Choices’ dedicated legal team prioritizes and seeks to advance patient-directed care.

Latest News

Group Responds to Anti-Medical-Aid-in-Dying Lawsuits, Emphasizes New York and Illinois Laws Do Not Discriminate Against People with Disabilities
June 11, 2026

Compassion Legal: The End-of-Life Justice Center at Compassion & Choices, spoke out forcefully Thursday after a group of plaintiffs — led by the anti-medical-aid-in-dying group Institute for Patients’ Rights — sued Gov. Kathy Hochul’s and Gov. JB Pritzker’s administrations in an effort to block implementation of the medical aid-in-dying laws in New York and Illinois. …

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Judge Rejects Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Pregnancy Exclusion in Kansas’ Living Will Law
May 27, 2026

Compassion Legal: The End of Life Justice Center at Compassion & Choices, If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, and Irigonegaray & Revenaugh applauded a ruling by Douglas County District Court, in Kansas, denying a motion to dismiss their state lawsuit on behalf of three Kansas women and two Kansas physicians. The lawsuit, Vernon v. Kobach,  challenges…

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Compassion & Choices
8156 S Wadsworth Blvd #E-162
Littleton, CO 80128

Mail contributions directly to:
Compassion & Choices Gift Processing Center
PO Box 485
Etna, NH 03750

Compassion & Choices is a 501 C3 organization. Federal tax number: 84-1328829

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