Urgent — Court Nullifies California Law

May 15, 2018 California End of Life Option Act Kim Callinan

Just this morning, a Riverside County Superior Court judge granted a motion by opponents of the California End of Life Option Act to invalidate the law on a procedural technicality.

Unless the state successfully appeals the ruling in the next five days, eligible California residents will be prevented from utilizing medical aid in dying to peacefully end unbearable suffering.

Rush your donation to Compassion & Choices today and help uphold the law in California.

The judge granted the motion because he said the Legislature violated the state constitution by passing it during a special session limited to healthcare issues.

We strongly believe that this law is valid and the appeals court will agree that the Legislature passed the law appropriately.

The vast majority of Californians support this law, and terminally ill Californians and their families deserve better than to have this option ripped away from them.

Compassion & Choices and our supporters worked tirelessly for years to lay the groundwork to pass the California End of Life Option Act in 2015. That investment grew our momentum and contributed to the eventual authorization of laws in Colorado, the District of Columbia and Hawai‘i. Combined with the pioneering work we did in Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Montana over the last 20 years, these recent successes have led to nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19%) living in an authorized state.

The invalidation of this law would be detrimental to every state and every person who supports dignity and autonomy at the end of life.

We must preserve this law, and stay vigilant in California and nationwide to protect patient autonomy from our opposition. Make a donation today:

www.compassionandchoices.org/defense-fund/

This is a critical moment for our movement. We need every member of this community to come together and protect everything that we have worked so hard to achieve. Please help and donate today.