California Governor Signs Hard-Won Right-to-Die Legislation

[alleinesein]

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California will become the fifth state in the nation to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives using doctor-prescribed drugs after Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday he signed one of the most emotionally charged bills of the year.
Brown, a lifelong Catholic and former Jesuit seminarian, announced that he signed the legislation approved by state lawmakers after an emotional and deeply personal debate. Until now, he had refused to comment on the issue.

The bill passed Sept. 11 after a previous version failed this year despite the highly publicized case of 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a California woman with brain cancer moved to Oregon to end her life. Her mother, Deborah Ziegler, lives in Carlsbad, north of San Diego, and recently told NBC 7 she is committed more than ever to fight for an individual's right to die.
Opponents said the bill legalizes premature suicide, but supporters call that comparison inappropriate because it applies to mentally sound, terminally ill people and not those who are depressed or impaired.

Religious groups and advocates for people with disabilities opposed the bill and nearly identical legislation that had stalled in the Legislature weeks earlier, saying it goes against the will of God and put terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death.
The measure was brought back as part of a special session intended to address funding shortfalls for Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor. The governor had criticized the move to bypass the usual process.

The bill he received includes requirements that the patient be physically capable of taking the medication themselves, that two doctors approve it, that the patient submit several written requests, and that there be two witnesses, one of whom is not a family member.  California's measure came after at least two dozen states introduced aid-in-dying legislation this year, though the measures stalled elsewhere. Doctors in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana already can prescribe life-ending drugs.

Maynard's family attended the legislative debate in California throughout the year. Maynard's mother, Debbie Ziegler, testified in committee hearings and carried a large picture of her daughter as she listened to lawmakers' debate.
In a video recorded days before Maynard took life-ending drugs, she told California lawmakers that no one should have to leave home to legally kill themselves under the care of a doctor.

"No one should have to leave their home and community for peace of mind, to escape suffering, and to plan for a gentle death," Maynard said in the video released by right-to-die advocates after her death.
The Catholic Church targeted Catholic lawmakers before the bill's passage and urged the governor to veto it.

"Pope Francis invites all of us to create our good society by seeing through the eyes of those who are on the margins, those in need economically, physically, psychologically and socially," the California Catholic Conference said in a statement after its passage. "We ask the governor to veto this bill."
You can read the memo Brown issued when signing the bill below.

[ESF]

Good.

California is the best.

[Deleted]

Fantastic!

[heyjude]

His signing statement is a fascinating look into his mind.

[Deleted]

:Y:

[ESF]

Oct 5, 2015 18:15:27 GMT -5 heyjude said:

His signing statement is a fascinating look into his mind.

Thanks for pointing that out. I glossed over it on first read, but went back now. 

It's really thoughtful and personal. I hope everyone who is against this bill reads that statement and gives it some reflection.

[heyjude]

He's an interesting fellow. It's hard to read him sometimes. His signing or veto messages are usually good reads though.

[WanderingWinoZ]

can somebody educate me on the reasons to oppose these types of laws? I have little memory of the Terry shaivo arguments (but thought those were more about what her wishes were).

is it just that hte catholic church considers this "suicide" and a sin?

This just seems like it *should* be a very right/conservative issue about individual bodily autonomy. It's not a crime to kill yourself via suicide, but to ask somebody to help you (b/c you are too ill) is a crime?

[secretlyevil]

Five states allow this? I didn't know that.

[heyjude]

Oct 5, 2015 19:18:00 GMT -5 WanderingWinoZ said:

can somebody educate me on the reasons to oppose these types of laws? I have little memory of the Terry shaivo arguments (but thought those were more about what her wishes were).

is it just that hte catholic church considers this "suicide" and a sin?

This just seems like it *should* be a very right/conservative issue about individual bodily autonomy. It's not a crime to kill yourself via suicide, but to ask somebody to help you (b/c you are too ill) is a crime?

Aside from the religious reasons, some people were concerned that coercion would play a role in these decisions. Will the poor be forced into the choice because of economic necessity? Some people are concerned that because we do not have equal access to the same health care some people would make this choice because their health care plans were so bad. Will an insurance company cover this pill but not additional treatment? Etc.

[kirra]

Oct 5, 2015 19:18:00 GMT -5 WanderingWinoZ said:

can somebody educate me on the reasons to oppose these types of laws? I have little memory of the Terry shaivo arguments (but thought those were more about what her wishes were).

is it just that hte catholic church considers this "suicide" and a sin?

This just seems like it *should* be a very right/conservative issue about individual bodily autonomy. It's not a crime to kill yourself via suicide, but to ask somebody to help you (b/c you are too ill) is a crime?

Eugenics. Coercion. Saving your soul. Worry about doctors getting sued. Preventing others from seeing your testimony on how to die and trust God to the end. Circumventing God's plan for your life.

A woman chose right to die about the same time another woman died of breast cancer. I don't remember their names, but if anyone does it's an interesting story to follow. The first woman chose to make her death public in hopes of convincing people to support the right to die, and the second woman used her public platform to tell the world why her choice was better. Christian bloggers were all over it.

I've yet to see an argument against right to die I don't think is bullshit.

We treat animals better than we treat humans.

[WanderingWinoZ]

Thanks everybody- I can see there there would be some risks and downsides to doctor assisted suicide, but the rest of the civilized world seems to have figured out a way to allow people to die with dignity and have reasonable safety precautions in place to protect all those involved.

[heyjude]

Oct 5, 2015 22:10:04 GMT -5 kirra said:

Oct 5, 2015 19:18:00 GMT -5 WanderingWinoZ said:

can somebody educate me on the reasons to oppose these types of laws? I have little memory of the Terry shaivo arguments (but thought those were more about what her wishes were).

is it just that hte catholic church considers this "suicide" and a sin?

This just seems like it *should* be a very right/conservative issue about individual bodily autonomy. It's not a crime to kill yourself via suicide, but to ask somebody to help you (b/c you are too ill) is a crime?

Eugenics. Coercion. Saving your soul. Worry about doctors getting sued. Preventing others from seeing your testimony on how to die and trust God to the end. Circumventing God's plan for your life.

A woman chose right to die about the same time another woman died of breast cancer. I don't remember their names, but if anyone does it's an interesting story to follow. The first woman chose to make her death public in hopes of convincing people to support the right to die, and the second woman used her public platform to tell the world why her choice was better. Christian bloggers were all over it.

I've yet to see an argument against right to die I don't think is bullshit.

We treat animals better than we treat humans.

I disagree that all the arguments against are bullshit. I think the health care inequality issue is actually a legit concern. Keep in mind Europe generally has a better system of ensuring access to health care than we do.