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. https://miracosta-edu.zoom.us/rec/play/OS_naNzwFSwFOL3XGIE-b-OZUdsQIBqTDyn-9kzUSJOk5Z6CRPsIciA8kwNUYtYjZh5px07aAIpBwWNU.-y2hfNlckwZzET-K)
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Evidence from other nations underscores CFC's concerns. In Belgium and the Netherlands, laws initially restricted to terminal illnesses have expanded to include psychological suffering. Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program has also grown to encompass chronic conditions and, controversially, may soon include individuals with mental illnesses.
"California should learn from these examples," Burt argued. "Promoting suicide, even under the guise of compassion, devalues human life, corrupts the practice of medicine, and endangers the vulnerable."
As Senator Blakespear prepares to reintroduce her proposals, the debate over assisted suicide is reaching a critical point. Churches must address this issue directly, educating their congregations about the moral dangers of assisted suicide and speaking out publicly against legislators like Blakespear, who frame death as a compassionate solution to suffering.