The California Assembly Health Committee was scheduled to hear testimony on that state’s assisted suicide bill, the End of Life Options Act (SB 128), until proponents of the law withdrew it from a scheduled hearing earlier this week.
In a statement issued by the coalition Californians Against Assisted Suicide, Marilyn Golden of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund was quoted stating, “Those of us advocating on behalf of disability rights organizations understand that choice is a myth in the context of our health care reality. End-of-life treatment options are already limited for millions of people—constrained by poverty, disability discrimination, and other obstacles. Adding this so-called ‘choice’ into our dysfunctional healthcare system will push people into cheaper lethal options. There is no assurance everyone will be able to choose treatment over suicide; no material assistance for families of limited means who are struggling to care for loved ones; no meaningful protection from abusive family members or caregivers.”