California Aid-in-Dying One Year Later

The New York Times ran an article giving an update on California’s aid-in-dying law.  The numbers are not from state officials but come from Compassion in Choices.  They report “at least 504 terminally ill Californians have requested a prescription for life-ending drugs since a state law allowing physician-assisted deaths went into effect in June 2016… [representing] … those who have contacted Compassion & Choices….”  The article notes that once the state publishes the required data there will be a more accurate picture of the law’s application. The article also references the number of facilities that have written policies on recognizing the prescriptions. The article also reminds us that a lawsuit had been filed some time back to challenge the law, with a hearing scheduled for June 16, 2017.