Assisted suicide is one more step closer to becoming legal in the state of California. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill which will allow doctors in the state to prescribe drugs that can be given to end of lives of terminally patients. The End of Life Option Act, which won’t go into effect until three months after the Legislature holds a special health care session, would legally allow physicians to provide lethal amounts of drugs to patients who have been given less than six months to live, and want to end their lives early. Gov. Brown is actually a former student of a Jesuit seminary, and said that he struggled on whether or not to sign the measure. He wrote,
In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death. I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn’t deny that right to others.
The bill faced strong opposition from pro-life advocates and many religious groups in the state.
