After months of passionate debate, Governor Jerry Brown, 77, made a decision that placed California as only the fifth state in the United States allowing terminally ill people to die on their own terms. The decision to approve the bill was partially inspired by the tragic story of Brittany Maynard, the 29 year old woman who was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in April 2014 and was given six months to live. Before her diagnosis she was a fearless traveler. Her paralyzing headache started not long after her wedding to husband, Dan Diaz, 42. She passed away on her own terms on November 1, 2014, after taking advantage of Oregon's Right to Die Law.
Gov. Jerry Brown, on Monday, with a stroke of a pen gave doctors the right to dispense lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients when they request for them, the Los Angeles TImes reports. California now joins Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont in legalizing the practice.
It is stated in the bill that in order for patients to obtain the prescription they must be mentally competent, and are expected to die within 6 months. The law will take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns its special session on healthcare, the Times reported.
Brown, who once studied to become a priest, recieved negative feedbacks from religious advocates, as well as the Catholic Church when he signed the bill. The law was controversial but the governor made it clear as to why he chose to approve it. "In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death," he said. "I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn't deny that right to others."
Brown's actions were a huge victory for the end-of-life choice group Compassion and Choices, which partnered with Maynard and had been trying to get legislation passed in the state since 1991.
