Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Than 100 Patients Ended Lives Under California's New Aid-In-Dying Law Last Year
The Associated Press: State: 111 Terminally Ill End Lives Under New California Law
California health officials reported Tuesday that 111 terminally ill people took drugs to end their lives in the first six months after a 2016 law made the option legal in the nation's most populous state. The data was part of the California Department of Public Health's first report on the law since it went into effect June 9, 2016. (6/27)
Los Angeles Times: 111 Terminally Ill Patients Took Their Own Lives In First 6 Months Of California Right-To-Die Law
A snapshot of the patients who took advantage of the law mirrors what’s been seen in Oregon, which was the first state to legalize the practice nearly two decades ago. Though California is far more diverse than Oregon, the majority of those who have died under aid-in-dying laws in both states were white, college-educated cancer patients older than 60. The End of Life Option Act made California the fifth state in the nation to allow patients with less than six months to live to request end-of-life drugs from their doctors. (Karlamangla, 6/27)
Sacramento Bee: 111 Californians Use Aid In Dying Law In First Year
California’s End of Life Option Act went into effect June 9, 2016, allowing assisted suicide in the state after years of contentious debate. Each year, on or before July 1, the Department of Public Health must provide prescribed information on those who sought and used aid-in-dying drugs. (Anderson, 6/27)
