In the week from May 18 to May 24, 2015:
- The California Medical Association dropped its opposition to physician-assisted dying and is now neutral on SB 128, which underwent a fiscal impact study in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
- Also in California, another lawsuit was filed asking for the state to allow physician-assisted dying.
- In Tennessee, John Jay Hooker, a terminally-ill attorney who is a staunch advocate for Death with Dignity, filed a lawsuit asking for the state to allow physician-assisted dying.
- In Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin signed S 108, a bill that removed sunsets on safeguards from the original Death with Dignity bill, solidifying Act 39, A Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act.
- In Maine, a joint legislative committee passed the proposed Death with Dignity bill.
California
- The lawsuit advocating for the legalization of Death with Dignity garnered significant media attention early in the week: CBS Los Angeles; CBS San Francisco; Huffington Post; California Healthline; KPCC; San Diego Reader.
- Similarly, the news of CMA’s move to adopt a neutral stance on physician-assisted dying reverberated across the state on May 20 and 21: San Francisco Chronicle; Ventura County Star; SF Gate; ABC News; Sacramento Bee (editorial); San Francisco Chronicle (editorial); Los Angeles Times; Huffington Post; KCRA (video).
- “Doctors debate the ethics of assisted suicide,” KPCC, 5/18/2015
- “Fighting for Her Choice: ‘A More Dignified and Peaceful Death’,” Los Angeles Times, 5/19/2015
- “Editorial: California Senate panel should let right-to-die bill move forward,” Los Angeles Times, 5/22/2015
- “Local group supports aid-in-dying ,” San Mateo Daily Journal, 5/25/2015
Maine
- “Capitol Notebook: Lawmakers weigh ‘Death with Dignity’ bill,” The Forecaster, 5/18/2015
- “LD 1270 Passes from the Joint Standing Committee for Health and Human Services,” It’s My Death eNewsletter, 5/21/2015
Tennessee
- “Battle over right to die headed to Nashville courts,” The Tennesseean, 5/20/2015
- “Hooker sues state officials about aid-in-dying,” WSMV.com, 5/19/15
- “Suing Tennessee for assisted suicide,” WCYB, 5/20/15
- “Brother fights for ‘death with dignity’ after sister’s suicide,” USA Today via The Tennesseean, 5/20/15
Vermont
- “Permanent version of Vt. assisted suicide bill signed,” USA Today, 5/20/2015
- “Shumlin signs end-of-life bill,” Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, 5/20/2015
- “At Emotional Ceremony, Shumlin Signs End-Of-Life Bill ,”VPR, 5/21/15
Elsewhere
- Arizona: “Give death the dignity it deserves,” AZ Central, 5/23/15
- Kansas: “Right to die,” The Tulsa Voice, 5/22/15
Other Stories
- Two stories, in New York Times Magazine and Esquire, one conclusion. “Americans should start paying attention to their quality of death,” Quartz, 5/20/2015
Featured image by Wolfram Burner.
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