The End of Life Option Act

Nothing in this article is meant to be medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider.
Some info below taken from:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520162AB15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTvTXGk31bI&feature=youtu.be
https://endoflifechoicesca.org/
info@spiritmountainretreat.org

Some call it death with dignity. Some call it the right to die. Some call it medical assistance in dying (MAID). It is about making one’s own choices, and having options about how to legally — and with medical assistance — end one’s own life, at least when one is suffering from a terminal illness. Accessing medical assistance in dying is legal in California under legislation called The End of Life Option Act. (See first link above for full text with straightforward language.)
There are a number of criteria —  all laid out in the text of the legislation — that surround using this option. However, it is doable and not as complicated as one might think.
There are nonprofit organizations that serve as care navigators to assist in finding the right fit for each person. One of those is listed above in the third link, End of Life Choices California. They are a nonprofit and many of their volunteer staff of navigators are medical professionals and social workers who are trained, committed and compassionate. These particular folks started this organization very recently as Compassionate Choices shut down its volunteer program. In fact, it is the staff that volunteered for Compassionate Choices. They still felt a calling to do this work and created a new nonprofit. They are based in the San Diego area but can assist throughout the state.
Here are some of the basic requirements as stated in The End of Life Option Act:
An individual who is an adult with the capacity to make medical decisions and with a terminal disease may make a request to receive a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The individual’s attending physician has diagnosed the individual with a terminal disease.
(2) The individual has voluntarily expressed the wish to receive a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug.
(3) The individual is a resident of California and is able to establish residency through any of the following means:
    (A) Possession of a California driver license or other identification issued by the State of California
    (B) Registration to vote in California
    (C) Evidence that the person owns or leases property in California
    (D) Filing of a California tax return for the most recent tax year
(4) The individual documents his or her request pursuant to the requirements set forth in Section 443.3.
(5) The individual has the physical and mental ability to self-administer the aid-in-dying drug.
    (A) A request for a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug under this part shall be made solely and directly by the individual diagnosed with the terminal disease and shall not be made on behalf of the patient, including, but not limited to, through a power of attorney, an advance health care directive, a conservator, health care agent, surrogate, or any other legally recognized health care decision-maker.
Callie Wight is a California state-licensed registered nurse with a Master of Arts in psychology.