Governor Jerry Brown signed the “End of Life Option Act” on Monday, granting terminally ill patients in California the right to end their lives with the help of a physician. The bill will take effect in 2016 and culminates a 23-year effort to legalize medically-assisted suicide in the state. Supporters say the legislation will give people who are dying a legal alternative to a painful and prolonged death. Opponents of the law fear it will lead to unnecessary or even coerced deaths.
Gov. Jerry Brown's Message After Signing End of Life Bill