California Legislature Passes AB 282 Legalizing Family Members Encouraging Assisted Suicide

The California Senate rushed AB 282 through on the first day that the legislature returned from recess. The bill legalizes aiding, advising, or encouraging assisted suicide. The bill was passed yesterday afternoon. See votes here.

Lifenews writes that the law “grants complete legal immunity to anyone who wants to facilitate the death of someone who is defined as “terminally ill” under California’s assisted suicide law. The law defines “terminal” as a condition expected to lead to death within six months if left untreated. This means diabetes, high blood pressure, treatable conditions—even an infection—could be considered “terminal.””

This new California law says that it is legal to advise, encourage, or aid someone who is having suicidal thoughts to go through with them, if they are declared to be terminally ill by doctors.

Life Legal challenged California’s Assisted Suicide law and this bill was introduced as a result. Lifenews reports that “California’s assisted suicide law allows “interested” witnesses, which include beneficiaries, to sign a person’s request for assisted suicide drugs. The new law—assisted suicide on steroids—allows an individual to aid, advise, and encourage a person to commit suicide—AND sign off on the method of suicide—while financially benefitting from the person’s death. And it’s all legal now.”

California’s updated assisted suicide law is dangerous. It is unethical. It should never be legal to allow family members to sign off on their family member’s death when doing so would mean a financial profit for them.