Aiding, advising, or encouraging suicide: exemption from prosecution.
Summary
Existing law, the End of Life Option Act, until January 1, 2026, authorizes an adult who meets certain qualifications and who has been determined by his or her attending physician to be suffering from a terminal disease to request a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug. The act, with some exceptions, provides immunity from civil or criminal liability for specified actions taken in compliance with the act. Actions taken in accordance with the act do not, for any purpose, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, homicide, or elder abuse under the law. Existing law makes a person who deliberately aids, advises, or encourages another to commit suicide guilty of a felony. This bill would prohibit a person whose actions are compliant with the End of Life Option Act from being prosecuted for deliberately aiding, advising, or encouraging suicide.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2017
Committee Review
Aug 2018
Assembly Passage
Jan 2018
Senate Passage
Aug 2018
Signed into Law
Sep 2018
Introduced Feb 2, 2017
Signed Sep 5, 2018
Floor votes · Senate Aug 6, 2018 · Assembly Jan 18, 2018
How they voted
20–7
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 31
Aug 6, 2018
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican11
63% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
22
Key actions
9
Committee
7
Amendments
4
Sep 5, 2018
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor.
legislature
Aug 20, 2018
Lower · Passed
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 54. Noes 20. Page 6348.).
lower
Aug 7, 2018
Introduced
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 9 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
lower
Aug 6, 2018
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (20-7-4)
senate
May 15, 2018
Upper · Passed
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (May 15).
upper
Mar 15, 2018
Upper · Passed
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
upper
Mar 15, 2018
Committee
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
upper
Jan 18, 2018
Assembly · Passed
Assembly Vote: pass (40-15-13)
assembly
Jan 9, 2018
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (January 9).
lower
Jan 4, 2018
Committee
Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
lower
Jan 3, 2018
Introduced
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.
lower
Mar 14, 2017
Lower · Passed
In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
lower
Feb 13, 2017
Committee
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
lower
Feb 3, 2017
Lower · Passed
From printer. May be heard in committee March 5.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Reggie Jones-Sawyer
DDemocratic
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