(Sacramento, CA – June 25, 2015) Latino labor leader and civil right activist Dolores Huerta today publicly endorsed the End of Life Option Act (SB 128) and encouraged Latino legislators to vote for it. Her endorsement is critical because she is a leader in the labor, civil rights, and Latino communities.  Several Latino legislators serve on the Assembly Health Committee, which is scheduled to vote on the bill July 7th.

“We are honored to have the support of Dolores Huerta because her endorsement carries great weight across California and especially in the Latino community,” said Toni Broaddus, California Campaign Director for Compassion & Choices. “We hope her leadership will help convince legislators who are on the fence about the importance of the legislation prior to the vote in the Assembly Health Committee.”

Huerta’s endorsement follows Tuesday’s release of a bipartisan poll conducted by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research andProbolsky Research showing 70 percent of Latino voters and 60 percent of Catholic voters support the End of Life Option Act.

Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers with César Chávez. She now joins other prominent Latinos who have publicly endorsed the End of Life Option Act. They include actor/director and activist Edward James Olmos and star Mauricio Ochmann from the popular Telemundo telenovela “El Señor de los Cielos.”

“I came to Sacramento to urge members of the Assembly to support SB 128, the End of Life Option Act,” said Huerta. “This bill will affirm a fundamental right for terminally ill and mentally competent patients to choose how their final days are lived. This is a basic civil rights issue offering a compassionate and dignified end-of-life choice that should be left between a patient and doctor.”

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning and Senate Majority Whip Lois Wolk, SB 128 was inspired by California death-with-dignity advocate Brittany Maynard. The bill is closely modeled after the death-with-dignity law in Oregon, which has worked well for 17 years, without a single documented case of abuse or coercion.

“We are honored that Dolores Huerta, civil rights leader, champion for working families, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is working in support of SB 128, the End of Life Option Act,” said Senator Monning. “As Dolores has stated, this is a fundamental human rights issue and a choice that should be afforded to every qualified, terminally ill patient in California.”

Four other states authorize the option of medical aid in dying: Washington, Montana, Vermont, and New Mexico. Legislators have introduced medical aid-in-dying bills in the District of Columbia and at least 23 other states besides California.

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