As Gov. Jerry Brown pointed out Monday, the End of Life Option Act\u00a0is not just any other piece of legislation: By definition, it\u2019s a matter of life and death.<\/p>\n
Gov. Jerry Brown issued an unusually personal signing statement with his approval of the End of Life Option Act on Oct. 5, 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crux of the matter is whether the state of California should continue to make it a crime for a dying person to end his life,\u201d Brown said in an unusual signing message, \u201cno matter how great his pain and suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The California governor made his perspective clear and the message and by signing the controversial legislation Monday.<\/p>\n
Until then, Brown hadn\u2019t indicated where he stood on the issue. Until he explained that his decision was personal, based on his reflections \u201con what I would want in the face of my own death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain,\u201d he wrote in the message,\u00a0addressed to state Assembly members. \u201cI am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I wouldn\u2019t deny that right to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany Maynard championed movement<\/strong><\/p>\n For decades, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was the American face of the movement known as \u201cright to die\u201d or \u201cassisted suicide.\u201d The Michigan pathologist not only pushed for \u201cright-to-die\u201d legislation, he also helped several patients die \u2014 including one that led to a 1999 conviction on second-degree murder charges stemming from the death of a patient who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n But last year, it was Brittany Maynard who brought the issue to the national consciousness. She learned on New Year\u2019s Day 2014 that she had brain cancer. And a few months later, she decided to move from California to Oregon so that she could legally take medication to end her life \u2014 all before her 30th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cI would not tell anyone else that he or she should choose death with dignity,\u201d Maynard wrote in a CNN.com opinion piece. \u201cMy question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don\u2019t deserve this choice? That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard died last November. Her last few months might have been different had California had the same legislation that it has now.<\/p>\n Others championed that cause after her death.<\/p>\n There were many, though, that opposed the effort and urged Brown to veto the legislation. They included those tied to Californians Against Assisted Suicide, whose spokesman Tim Rosales said that many were\u00a0against the effort, including \u201cprogressive legislators representing low-income districts.\u201d<\/p>\n On its website, Californians Against Assisted Suicide lists dozens of organization opposed to the bill Brown signed Monday. They include the American Academy of Medical Ethics, the American Medical Association, the California Catholic Conference, the Disability Rights Center and many others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know that \u2018choice\u2019 is a myth in the context of our unjust health care reality,\u201d the group said after the state Senate passed the bill last month. \u201cEnd-of-life treatment options are already limited for millions of people \u2014 constrained by poverty, disability discrimination, and other obstacles.<\/p>\n \u201cAdding this so-called \u2018choice\u2019 into our dysfunctional health care system will push people into cheaper lethal options.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Gov. Jerry Brown pointed out Monday, the End of Life Option Act\u00a0is not just any other piece of legislation: By definition, it\u2019s a matter of life and death. Gov. Jerry Brown issued an unusually personal signing statement with his approval of the End of Life Option Act on Oct. 5, 2015. \u201cThe crux of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n