May 19, 2024 – This event provides an overview of the effort to get an expanded medical aid in dying (MAiD) law passed in California. Two members of the political advocacy group, A Better Exit, Marcia Hofer and Barry Price, recount their efforts to get a bill introduced in the California legislature.
The proposed text of SB 1196 included the following provisions:
– Eliminate the requirement that a person must be within six months of death.
– Include the option of an intravenous method for self-administering the life-ending drugs.
– Make Medical Aid In Dying available to people with early to mid-stage dementia who have decision-making capacity.
– Remove the California residency requirement, a requirement that two states have already eliminated.
– Remove the 2031 sunset date for the End of Life Option Act.
Unfortunately, SB 1196 was pulled from consideration just days before a scheduled hearing before the Health Committee due to opposition from Compassion & Choices and the California Medical Association. But the quest for expanding the California End of Life Option Act is far from over. This temporary setback was expected and the objections from powerful voices in the end-of-life area will be addressed in future legislative efforts.