Doctors Weigh In On Ethical, Practical Questions Surrounding Aid-In-Dying Law
Some in the palliative care field are welcoming the law after years of debate, while others say that the law goes directly against a doctor’s instinct. KPCC hosts a panel of doctors to discuss the issue.
KPCC:
Doctors Open Up About How They'll Counsel Patients Once Aid In Dying Becomes CA Law Next Month
Starting on June 9, doctors in California will be allowed to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients with six months or less to live. The End of Life Option Act will make California the fifth U.S. state to allow doctors to prescribe these kinds of drugs, though it is not a requirement. Doctors are allowed to opt out of the law if they wish, and though some doctors will, those who opt out do not have to refer patients to a doctor who will write the prescription. (5/19)
Meanwhile, the state Senate turns its attention to gun laws —
The Daily Democrat and The Associated Press:
Senate Approves Sweeping Gun-Control Measures
Democrats in the California Senate made another attempt Thursday to outlaw the sale of assault weapons with easily detachable ammunition magazines as part of a wide-ranging slate of gun control bills that were approved. Lawmakers also voted to require that people turn in magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds as they approved nearly a dozen measures that would significantly reshape California’s gun laws, already among the strictest in the U.S. The move follows last year’s terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Cooper, 5/19)