Gov. Jerry Brown signed historic legislation that will grant mentally capable, terminally ill adults the right to request a doctor’s prescription for drugs that will hasten their deaths, according to a statement from the office of Assemblyman Luis Alejo.
Alejo, D-Salinas, co-authored the bill with Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton.
According to Alejo’s statement:
“After months of emotional debate and discussion, California is now the fifth state in the nation to offer terminally ill residents a peaceful and dignified way to end their suffering, and only the second to enact it through legislation behind Vermont,” Alejo said in a press release.
The assemblymember called the bill “not only about those with terminal illnesses” but also about their family members and loved ones, in the statement.
“I commend the Governor and his administration for allowing Californians to have an option where they can now legally, respectfully, and dignifiedly, make their own choice when it comes to their pain,” he wrote in the press release.
Alejo represents the 30th District in the California State Assembly, which consists of the Salinas Valley, Monterey County, San Benito County, South Santa Clara County and the city of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County.
