Calif. Aid-In-Dying Option Goes Into Effect June 9: ‘It’s A Lot More Complicated Than Just Passing A Law’
There are a lot of questions that remain as physicians and pharmacists in California scramble to get ready for terminal patient requests for prescription drugs to end their lives. The Sacramento Bee offers an in-depth look at the issue.
The Sacramento Bee:
A Better Way To Die? California’s End-Of-Life Law Launches June 9
Elizabeth Wallner vividly remembers the moment when she knew there had to be a better way to die. Diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, Wallner was in the midst of brutal chemotherapy that made her violently sick to her stomach. As she was retching into the toilet, her son, then 16, sat on the bathroom floor, helpless to ease her pain. When her time comes, Wallner, a 52-year-old education consultant who also cares for her aging parents, wants to spare her family any more agonizing memories and instead take a lethal prescription, prescribed by her doctor. Starting June 9, that option will be available for the first time in California. (Buck, 5/5)
Related from California Healthline: 'Ask Emily' Column: Aid-In-Dying Is Not So Easy
