California’s Assisted Suicide Debate Deepens: Senator Pushes for Dementia Inclusion

California State Senator Catherine Blakespear is reigniting the debate over assisted suicide by seeking to expand the state’s End of Life Option Act (EOLOA). The 2016 law, which allows terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to request life-ending drugs, could soon include patients with early to mid-stage dementia and other non-terminal conditions, if Blakespear’s proposals gain traction.

Last year alone, 1,281 Californians received drugs from a licensed doctor to kill themselves thanks to the state’s assisted suicide law. Nine other states, including Washington, D.C., have similar statutes, as well as Canada and a handful of other Western countries.

Speaking at a recent town hall in Carlsbad, Senator Blakespear, whose district stretches from Mission Viejo in Orange County south to San Diego, emphasized the importance of revisiting existing legislation to address what she perceives as gaps in eligibility. She explained her attempt last year to pass SB 1196, which would have broadened eligibility for assisted suicide to those who are not terminally ill, but suffering from a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.” Although that bill was defeated, Blakespear is gathering feedback and working to build coalitions, including engaging with organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA) to ease resistance to her plans. (Watch the town hall here.)

Read more on the California Family Council’s website.