Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Aid-In-Dying Law Goes Into Effect
California on Thursday becomes the latest state to allow the terminally ill to legally choose to end their lives, raising worries among some people in the state's large Latino and African-American communities that poor people with serious illnesses could be pressured to take lethal drugs as a cheaper option to long-term care. (Watson, 6/8)
Oregon was the first state to allow patients with terminal illnesses to request medications that would end their lives. Though other states have since adopted similar laws, Oregon remains the best guide for what to expect in California when physician-assisted death becomes legal in the state Thursday. Here are some statistics about who has taken advantage of Oregon鈥檚 aid-in-dying law since it took effect in 1998. (Karlamangla, 6/9)
Eight months after it was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, California's controversial End of Life Option Act goes into effect Thursday. The law allows mentally capable adults, diagnosed with six months or less to live, to ask doctors for prescriptions to end their lives when they choose. (Seipel, 6/8)
