Vote on Aid-in-Dying bill delayed to secure more support
Dan Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, spoke in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients in January. Maynard, a 29-year-old San Francisco Bay Area woman who had terminal brain cancer, took her own life. At left is state Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis), a coauthor of the bill.
The author of an aid-in-dying bill postponed a scheduled Tuesday hearing on the measure because it lacked enough support to pass a key committee.
State Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) agreed to delay a vote on her bill in the Assembly Health Committee until next month. The proposal would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with drugs prescribed by a doctor.
“At this point, we feel that without the certain votes in the Assembly Health Committee today, it is best to postpone the hearing … to July 7th,” Wolk said in a statement. “We hope that during this time, members of the committee can take more time to consider the bill carefully.”
The measure, titled the End of Life Option Act, was already approved by the state Senate. It is modeled after a voter-approved law that took effect in Oregon in 1997.
Wolk’s bill, SB 128, would apply to requests by mentally competent adults with six months or less to live.
Twitter: @McGreevy99
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