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Senate committee considers making California’s End of Life Option Act permanent
Summary
Senators heard testimony on SB 403, which would remove the 2031 sunset for California’s End of Life Option Act. Supporters — including families, clinicians and advocacy groups — said the law has operated safely for nine years; disability and civil‑rights groups urged further review before making the law permanent.
Senator Blake D. (author) presented SB 403 to remove the statute’s current sunset, making California’s End of Life Option Act permanent. The Act, first implemented in 2016, allows mentally capable, terminally ill adult residents to request a prescription to self‑administer life‑ending medication under strict safeguards.
The author said nine years of data show the law “is working as intended” and that continuing a sunset causes anxiety among terminal patients and families. “Since the law went into effect in June of 2016, a total of 4,287 people have died following ingestion of aid in dying medication under the End of Life Option Act,” the author said, summarizing the Department of Public Health reports. The bill would also direct the Department of Public Health to consult stakeholders about additional reporting details and to continue annual public reports.
Suppo…
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