As doctor-assisted suicide has been legal in California for only a few years, proponents say the law is working and now want to eliminate important “safeguards” and reduce the “trial-period” they initially said were needed to help protect Californians from abuse and misuse of the law.

The move follows the usual path of physician-assisted suicide laws in other states and nations – promise protections and limits, then gradually strip those away.

Specifically, SB 380 (Eggman, D-Stockton) would allow physicians to waive the 15-day waiting period for doctor-assisted suicide if a patient is not expected to live long enough to complete it, loosen the requirements on determining whether a patient is of sound mind in order to obtain a prescription for the lethal mix of drugs, and force doctors and hospitals that have ethical and moral objections to directly refer patients to doctors who have no qualms assisting in a suicide.

Proponents of the physician-assisted suicide law touted the fact that California’s law had strong protections when it passed inappropriately during a special legislative session called to look at Medi-Cal funding six years ago.  Now, those “safeguards” could be eliminated. In fact, during the first committee oversight hearing to extend the law, proponents even brought up the “need” to let more minorities know of the law’s existence bemoaning the fact that minorities were not using the law….

The above comes from an alert on the website of the California Conference of Bishops.