State Judge Overturns California's Assisted Suicide Law

On May 15, 2018, a state judge issued a long-awaited ruling, concluding that the California Legislature violated the state constitution by enacting the state's End of Life Option Act that became effective in 2016 during a 2015 special session dedicated to healthcare issues.  From the Los Angeles Times:

A Riverside County judge overturned California's physician-assisted suicide law on Tuesday, giving the state attorney general five days to file an appeal to keep the law in place.

 

California's law, which allows terminally ill patients to request lethal medications from their doctors, has been the subject of a fierce and emotional debate since it was approved in 2015. The state was the fifth in the nation to legalize the practice.

 

Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ottolia said Tuesday that the California Legislature violated the law by passing the End of Life Option Act during a special session dedicated to healthcare issues, according to the plaintiffs in the case as well as advocates for the law.

 

"We're very happy with the decision today," said Alexandra Snyder, head of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit. "We will now wait and see what the attorney general does."

 

In a statement emailed to The Times, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said: "We strongly disagree with this ruling and the state is seeking expedited review in the Court of Appeal."

For more, read Riverside Judge Overturns California's Doctor-Assisted Suicide Law.