Californians urged to oppose rollback of assisted suicide safeguards
The California Catholic Conference is urging the faithful to speak out against a proposed state law that would remove several safeguards on assisted suicide, a practice which has been legal in the state since 2015.
“The move follows the usual path of physician-assisted suicide laws in other states and nations – promise protections and limits, then gradually strip those away,” the conference said in a recent statement.
The bill, SB 380, would remove the 15-day waiting period for lethal drugs in favor of a waiting period of just 48 hours, without any mandatory mental health assessment.
Assisted suicide was legalized in California in 2015 by the End of Life Option Act, implemented under then-governor Jerry Brown. That act originally included a sunset clause and a legislative evaluation in 2026.