In 2022, proponents of assisted suicide attempted to move into allowing euthanasia by filing a lawsuit in federal court, Shavelson, M.D. et al v. California Department of Health Care Services, claiming that the provision in California law which requires that lethal drugs be self-administered is unconstitutional. Proponents lost at the district court level and filed an appeal. The appeal has now been voluntarily dismissed due to the unfortunate death of the plaintiff in the case. This dismissal does not preclude proponents filing a similar case in another part of the country.
Matt Vallière in the Los Angeles Times Thanks to the LA Times for sharing Matt’s letter, which strongly opposes assisted suicide laws. Read his letter to the editor below: Steve Lopez asks, “Will the option [of assisted suicide] be there for others?” To plaintiffs in the referenced lawsuit and many in the disability, older adult
Celebrating 33 Years of the ADA Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On this day, July 26th, 1990, the ADA was signed and enshrined civil rights protections into law for people with disabilities. Today and every ADA anniversary, the Patients’ Rights Action Fund (PRAF) celebrates the
Advocates for Assisted Suicide Begin to Fear the Case in California Proponents of assisted suicide are beginning to write articles and speak up about their worries and opposition to the case filed in California to end assisted suicide. While the initial response to this groundbreaking case was severely delayed, opinion pieces and statements of opposition
