Humanist Association
By Dave Silva
LW contributor
The LW Humanist Assocation recently hosted Stephanie Campbell as a guest speaker at its meeting. Campbell spoke on the recent changes to the “End of Life Option Act,” commonly called the “Death with Dignity Law,” that went into effect on June 9, 2016. It was re-drafted on Jan. 1 before the sunset clause, which would have caused the act to expire.
The Humanist Assocciation has been discussing “End of Life Option Act” for years now. In 2015, the LW Humanist Association first presented a program on the “End of Life Option Act” that Gov. Jerry Brown had signed. The speaker was a lawyer who helped write the Oregon “Death with Dignity” law, which was the model for the California law. This law allowed adult California residents, who had a diagnosed terminal illness within six months, to apply for life-ending medication without being legally charged with suicide.
Only eight states and Washington, D.C., have “Death with Dignity” laws. New Mexico was the last to join in 2021.
There is the “slippery slope” argument that people might be killed so that others may profit. However, due to proper safeguards, the slippery slope argument hasn’t caused a single state to repeal their Death with Dignity Law. The palliative care argument says, “why end a life when we can control pain?” Not everyone who lives with a pain that has to be constantly suppressed values that existence. Humanists believe such an important and personal issue should be decided by the individual, not by a religion or politician.
The major changes in SB380, which went into effect on Jan. 1 and was discussed at the Humanist Association’s recent meeting include reducing the waiting period between the first and second oral request from 15 days to 48 hours. It eliminates the final attestation form, which a terminally ill person may not be capable of signing. It requires physicians who cannot, or will not, support patient requests to tell the patient they will not support them, or document the patient’s request and provider’s notice of rejection in the patient’s medical record. It prohibits a health care provider from engaging in false, misleading or deceptive practices related to their willingness to qualify an individual, or provide a prescription for aid-in-dying medication. The changes also requires health care entities to post their current policy regarding medical aid in
