SFMS Applauds Governor Brown for Passage of End-of-Life Option Act October 7, 2015 Advocacy, News, SFMS Member ABX2-15, end-of-life, End-of-Life Option Act, physician assisted dying 0 The San Francisco Medical Society wishes to publicly thank Governor Jerry Brown for signing into law the End-of-Life Option Act (ABX2-15). His moving personal message conveys how difficult and controversial the issue of “physician-assisted dying” can be. Although most medical groups have historically opposed this practice, our organization studied it intensively last year and, citing both surveys of physician opinion and the reassuring evidence from other states, successfully advocated that the California Medical Association become neutral on the bill and topic, thus allowing the legislation to reach Governor Brown. We will continue to work for improved end-of-life care and patient choice, and feel that this bill will advance those goals for all Californians. ABX2-15 will permit physicians to provide lethal prescriptions to mentally competent adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and face the expectation that they will die within six months. The law will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns its special session on health care, which may not be until next year — January at the earliest, November at the latest. Click here to view Governor Brown’s signing message. Additional information or resources on end-of-life care can be found in the April 2015 issue of San Francisco Medicine. Comments are closed.
