California's original End of Life Option Act was for terminally ill people who had an estimated six months or less to live. Authors of its proposed expansion, however, wanted to make the people with irremediable medical conditions, as well as those with early to mid-stage dementia, also eligible for doctor assisted suicide.
Greg Burt of the California Family Council says SB 1196 would have invited assisted suicide tourism.
"As all these assisted suicide bills do, they start in by getting people comfortable with the whole idea of [helping] people kill themselves who are very sick and then expanding it to new and new groups," he notes.
In this case, the author of the original assisted suicide bill, Senator Susan Eggman (D), actually came out in opposition to the new bill.
"She's quoted on Twitter or X as saying, 'While I have compassion for those desiring further change, pushing for too much too soon puts CA & the country at risk of losing the gains we have made for personal autonomy,'" Burt relays.
Though this year's measure is dead, Burt fully expects a new bill aiming to accommodate some parts of it to be submitted next session.
