On February 11, 2021 SB 380 was introduced in the California legislature. SB 380 will make sure that the End of Life Option Act will improve upon the law so that more eligible Californians are able to access the law. On May 28, 2021 SB 380 passed the California State Senate with a vote of 26-8. Previously, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure in a 9-1 vote; the Senate Health Committee approved it 8-1, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the measure 5-2 and the entire Senate passed the measure 26-8. The Assembly Health Committee passed the bill 10-3, the Assembly Judiciary Committee approved it 6-2, and the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a slightly revised version of the bill by a 10-4 vote. On September 10, 2021, the California State Assembly voted 51-16 in favor of SB 380, and the Senate voted for concurrence 26-8. You can thank your California State Legislator for voting yes on SB 380, here. The bill now heads to Governor Newsom’s desk for his signature. You can contact Governor Newsom and urge him to sign this critical legislation into law, here.
The California End of Life Option Act went into effect on June 9th, 2016, authorizing the compassionate option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults to get a prescription they can take to end their life peacefully. The law includes a sunset provision and will expire on January 1, 2026 unless we pass new legislation.
Send a thank you: Email your lawmakers and thank them for improving the End of Life Option Act
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Check out our playlist of videos about the California End of Life Option Act:
Take Action
- Attend an Event in California: Participate in virtual activities related to medical aid in dying and advance care planning.
- Volunteer With Us: Join other passionate and dedicated individuals to work to re-enact legislation that improves care and expands end-of-life choice.
- Schedule a Presentation: We’ll explain the full range of end-of-life options and explain step-by-step how the law works – in English and in Spanish.
Education and Outreach
The bilingual California Access Campaign:
- Helps patients, caregivers and health professionals understand how the law works. Staff and volunteers presented at over 100 public outreach events this year alone.
- Assists healthcare facilities develop more supportive policies. To date more than 80% of large health facilities have adopted policies supportive of medical aid in dying.
- Provides technical assistance and presentations to healthcare providers on end-of-life options.
Sign up to volunteer or email us at [email protected] to request a presentation in your own community.
Our five-year goal to pass a law in California was achieved in just one year.
Read the History of the California Campaign
Tools and Resources
For Patients
Learn whether you are eligible for the California End of Life Option Act.
About the End of Life Option Act (in Chinese).
End-of-Life Planning
Use our step-by-step guide to chart your journey or access the California advance directive directly here.
Recursos en Español
Recursos en Español.
COVID-19 Toolkit
Get answers to your questions about COVID-19 and end of life care.
Resources for Providers
Find resources tailored to the needs of healthcare providers.
Dementia Values & Priorities Tool
Use our tool to document your preferences to make sure you get the care you want.
What’s Happening Now
On February 11, 2021 SB 380 was introduced in the California legislature. SB 380 will make sure that the End of Life Option Act will not expire as it is set to in a few years, so that eligible terminally ill Californians will always have the compassionate option of medical aid in dying. It will also improve upon the law so that more eligible Californians are able to access the law. Key improvements include:
- It eliminates the original law’s sunset clause, making it a permanent statute.
- It reduces the mandatory minimum 15-day waiting period between the two oral requests for aid-in-dying medication to 48 hours for all eligible patients. (The New Mexico legislature passed similar medical aid-in-dying legislation on March 15 that requires a 48-hour waiting period between the time the prescription is written and when it is filled.)
- It requires healthcare systems and hospices put their medical aid-in-dying policies on their websites.
- It clarifies that the first oral request must be documented in a patient’s medical record even if the physician chooses not to support the patient in the option.
- It ensures that patients will be given factual information about the End of Life Option Act when they ask so that physicians are upfront with their patients and tell them if they will not support them.
