March 2016

On June 9, 2016, California’s “End of Life Option Act,” signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown last October, will go into effect. Under the law, patients who are at least 18 years old who have been diagnosed by a treating and a consulting physician with a terminal disease expected to result in death within 6 months may request aid-in-dying drugs. Verbal requests must be made 15 days apart and one must be signed, dated, and witnessed by two adults. A mental health assessment is not required unless the physician feels that there may be a mental disorder.