Nearly seven in ten California voters (69%) support a bill the California Assembly is considering that “would allow a terminally ill adult who is mentally competent the option to request and receive aid-in-dying medication from a physician,” according to a bipartisan poll. Just two in ten (20%) voters oppose the bill, called the End-of-Life Option Act (SB 128), and 11 percent are unsure, according to the live interviewer public opinion telephone survey of 601 likely Nov. 2016 election voters in California.
The poll conducted June 16-21 by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research and Probolsky Research is timely because the Assembly Health Committee has postponed a hearing on SB 128 scheduled for this afternoon until July 7, so committee members could spend more time studying the bill. Passed by the Senate just 19 days ago on June 4, SB 128 would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults the option to get a doctor’s prescription for medication that they could take to shorten an unbearable dying process.
Notably, support for End of Life Option Act, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning and Senate Majority Whip Lois Wolk, is significant among every voter subgroup, including:
“The strong support for the End of Life Option Act in every demographic group among California voters continues to increase,” said Toni Broaddus, California Campaign Director for Compassion & Choices, which sponsored the poll. “This poll sends a clear signal to assembly members in every district that their constituents overwhelmingly support this bill. It is my hope that legislators will listen and respond to California voters here and now, instead of waiting until the next election.”
A July 2014 poll conducted by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research for Compassion & Choices showed 64 percent of California voters supported the medical option of aid in dying, while 24 percent opposed it.
The End of Life Option Act was inspired by Brittany Maynard, the Californian who advocated for a death-with-dignity law in her home state during the last months of her life. The law is closely modeled after the the death-with-dignity law in Oregon, which has worked well for 18 years, without a single documented case of abuse or coercion. 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.
Compassion & Choices
Media Contacts
Michael Cavaiola
National Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
Phone: (480) 622 4427
Patricia A. González-Portillo
Senior National Latino Media Director
[email protected]
(323) 819 0310
Mail contributions directly to:
Compassion & Choices Gift Processing Center
PO Box 485
Etna, NH 03750