CALIFORNIA CAMPAIGN REPORT 2015
PASSAGE OF THE END OF LIFE OPTION ACT table of contents
executive summary In the spring of 2014, Compassion & Choices launched a five-year campaign to make medical 3055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1010 aid in dying an open and accessible option for terminally ill adults in California. Los Angeles, CA 90010 4
213.325.3073 EndofLifeOption.org the brittany effect CompassionAndChoices.org/California Brittany Maynard was a 29-year-old Californian who brought international5 attention to aid in dying when she had to move to Oregon to utilize its death- with-dignity law, which she accessed to Chief Editor | Patricia A. González-Portillo end her suffering from terminal brain cancer on Nov. 1, 2014. Contributing Editors | Sean Crowley, Sonja Aliesch
Contributors | Toni Broaddus, Patrick Sirois, Christal Smith, Stefanie Elkins, Charmaine Manansala, Joe Barnes, Cecily Hintzen, the california story Jacie Rowe, Jason Stubbers, Yolanda Serna, Compassion & Choices made Brandon Bland, Marlene Tumlin, Christina Goodwin, history in California when we Paula Taubman, Stephanie Sandle passed an aid in dying law and Mark Dann. after nearly 30 years, making it our biggest victory since we Advertising Rights and Permissions | passed Oregon’s Death With Compassion & Choices Dignity Act two decades ago. Photo Credits | Compassion & Choices, 6 Compassion & Choices Action Network TheBrittanyfund.org, Robert Olvera family, Jennifer Glass family the latino media campaign Compassion & Choices launched a Spanish- Design | Raul Portillo language media campaign to garner support for medical aid-in-dying legislation from Latinos. This targeted effort heavily influenced the passage of California’s End of Life Option Act. The work in this publication was done through the 8 combined efforts of Compassion & Choices and the Compassion & Choices Action Network.
doctors for dignity For almost 30 years, physicians and healthcare professionals have been critical voices and13 champions for the aid-in-dying movement in California.
2 CA campaign report the storytellers/ volunteers When we launched our storytelling project through social media, Californians 2 0 14 who were living with a terminal disease august or who suffered watching loved ones die Staff hired. came forward to talk about aid in dying more openly than ever before. Field team launches signature-gathering 9 initiative and organization support for aid in dying. christy’s courageous journey Christy O’Donnell, a 47-year-old single mother, attorney and former LAPD sergeant, died 10 before the law she championed took effect. honoring their wives’ lives and deaths september Compassion & Choices releases Dan Diaz and Harlan Seymour video of Anita Freeman’s sister’s married extraordinary women who painful death to cancer. died too young from cancer. Los Angeles Times’ Steve Lopez writes 12 column headlined “Death with Dignity Movement in memoriam Springs Back to C&C supporters worked hard to pass the End of Life Option Act. Life in California.” 11 Unfortunately some died before the governor signed our bill. moving forward: implementation october Brittany Maynard The End of Life Option Act will go into effect in 2016 launches partnership to provide comfort for terminally ill people enduring with Compassion & unbearable suffering and unnecessary pain. Choices. First video released.
14 Latino media campaign is the oregon experience launched. Implemented in 1997, Oregon’s first-in-the- nation aid-in-dying law has been rigorously observed and documented by scientists, journalists and public health officials. november Brittany Maynard, 29, 15 dies peacefully on Saturday, Nov. 1, in her Portland home terminology surrounded by family Decide what you want and tell your loved ones today. Use and friends. these definitions to make sure everyone is on the same page.
16 CA Campaign Report 3 2 0 15 executive january Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning and Senate Majority summary Whip Lois Wolk introduce the End By Toni Broaddus of Life Option Act (SB 128) in the community events. We launched a California Senate. Spanish-language media campaign. We also invested in messaging research to understand how voters in our state think and talk march about dying in their families and California Senate communities. Health Committee approves the End And then a California woman named of Life Option Act Brittany Maynard told her story. The (SB 128) with a whole conversation about aid in vote of 6-2. Second dying changed after that. Brittany Maynard testimonial video Californians responded with their released, urging own stories, with their gratitude passage of similar to Brittany, and with their time bills nationwide. and money to change the law in California. We still thought we might have to go to the ballot – but we had savvy legislative authors, april n the spring of 2014, Compassion a top-notch team of lobbyists, & Choices launched a five-year and passionate supporters who California campaign to make medical aid showed up to legislative hearings in Senate Judiciary I in dying an open and accessible Sacramento, to rallies across the state, Committee option for terminally ill adults in and in the offices of their elected approves SB 128 California. Despite overwhelming representatives. with a vote of 5-2. public support (our July 2015 poll showed 69% support by California Brittany’s story resonated deeply voters), at least four legislative with the public, and C&C was attempts and two ballot efforts to able to leverage the mandate and California Medical pass a death-with-dignity law had momentum she created to pass Association drops failed over the past three decades. a law that has been a long time opposition to aid-in- coming in our state. dying bill after We knew we needed to start nearly 30 years. organizing. By October, we had Our five-year goal to pass a law in Bill clears Senate a campaign team of 12 people California was achieved in just one Appropriation and 10 times as many active year. That still seems amazing – but Committee with volunteers. We visited district C&C was able to bring the strategic a 5-2 vote. attorneys, county supervisors and financial resources necessary, and city councilmembers to while our supporters, volunteers, California Senate explore opportunities for local and especially our storytellers makes history by policy changes or resolutions. We brought the magic. passing End of Life identified supporters at health Option Act with a fairs, farmers markets and other Together we made history. may vote of 23-15.
4 CA campaign report n October 2014, a six-minute From New York and New Jersey to video featuring Brittany Maynard Colorado, we recruited volunteers Itransformed the conversation about to testify, speak up at town halls and aid in dying. Americans in every state put a human face on legislation to answered her call, and legislators show the positive impact expanding responded. The progress has been end-of-life care will have on families. breathtaking, but there is more to do. Their efforts have resulted in more Since Compassion & Choices’ than 200 lawmakers signing on as partnership with Brittany, California cosponsors of bills in more than made history by passing an aid-in- half the states and the District of dying law after multiple attempts Columbia in 2015. over 30 years. the brittanyeffect
“My dream is that every terminally ill American has access to the choice to die on their own terms with dignity.” – Brittany Maynard
CA Campaign Report 5 our california campaign story
n the spring of 2014, Compassion national, statewide and local The Catholic Archbishop of Los & Choices launched a five-year plan organizations in support of the End Angeles sent letters to legislators in Ito authorize the medical option of Life Option Act. We hired three the summer urging them to oppose of aid in dying to relieve unbearable lobbying firms to help secure the our bill. Our response: Hundreds of suffering for terminally ill adults in votes needed to pass the bill through dying Californians and their families, California. the Legislature. religious leaders and civil rights activists rallied outside the offices Our field and political work started The End of Life Option Act was of legislators throughout the state, by persuading city and county introduced in the Senate in January targeting those who remained on the governments throughout the state to 2015 by Senators Bill Monning fence about the bill. pass resolutions supporting medical and Lois Wolk. It cleared the first aid in dying. committee in March, followed by We experienced our biggest two additional committees and a challenge in July when our bill stalled We also gathered signatures of full Senate vote. The majority of in the Assembly Health Committee. support at local farmers markets, Democratic senators supported The news reported our movement fairs, churches and community centers. the legislation, but no Republican dead. For weeks we kept quiet as We met with district attorneys senators voted for it. we strategized and considered to urge them to de-prioritize the all options for reviving prosecution of doctors and family At each hearing, Compassion & the bill. members who provide aid-in-dying Choices provided emotional testi- medication to mentally capable, monies from people like Dan Diaz, terminally ill adults who request it. Brittany’s widower; Debbie Ziegler, her mother; and terminally ill With the help of the messaging team, Californians facing painful deaths. we moved to the term “medical We also provided expert testimony aid-in-dying option” to describe from physicians and religious leaders. the practice. This shift helped us persuade lawmakers and voters on In May, two weeks before the Senate the fence about this issue that it was vote in June, the California Medical not a debate over a right, but an Association neutralized their position option that every Californian should on our bill, after nearly 30 years of have, whether they want to exercise its opposition had doomed prior it or not. efforts to authorize medical aid in dying in the state. We launched a storytelling program to find real-life experiences that We also sponsored a bipartisan compellingly illustrated the need for poll released in late June after aid in dying in California. We also the Senate vote showing nearly commenced a first-time Spanish- 7 in 10 California voters (69%) language media campaign to garner supported the bill, including Latino support. These targeted 70 percent of Latinos and 60 efforts heavily influenced the creation percent of Catholics. of a broad coalition of over 100
6 CA campaign report Our efforts paid off in August when two additional committees and a full the End of Life Option Act by Assembly vote. The bill then moved Assemblymember Susan Talamantes to the Senate, where it passed for Eggman was reintroduced as ABX the second time. 2–15 during Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2 0 15 extraordinary session on health care. Our bill landed on Governor Jerry june Brown’s desk two weeks later. Assembly Our field efforts also continued. By Committee the end of the campaign the political We did everything we could think on Health and field teams conducted more of to enact the legislation into law. hearing than 1,300 legislative visits, held 300 An aggressive field push continued, cancelled at educational events all over the state, including directing thousands of the request nearly quadrupled our supporters letters, emails, phone calls and of Senate from 25,000 to 95,000, trained over tweets to the governor. We held majority leader 1,000 volunteers and deployed them rallies outside the governor’s offices and co-author, through 26 action teams statewide. in Sacramento and Los Angeles to Bill Monning. urge signing of the bill. We even We launched a California Won’t Wait mobilized our president, Barbara campaign featuring religious leaders Coombs Lee, to urge Nobel Prize and terminally ill Californians as our winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu to primary spokespeople to exert urge Gov. Brown to sign the bill. pressure on lawmakers to pass the july legislation during the special session. And Oct. 5, 2015, the governor did, making it our biggest victory since Our bill cleared the Assembly Special we passed Oregon’s Death With Committee on Public Health and Dignity Act 20 years ago. Developmental Services, followed by
Bill stalls in Assembly Health Committee.
Superior Court judge dismisses suit on behalf of Christy O’Donnell, Elizabeth Wallner, Wolf Breiman and Dr. Lynn Cederquist by saying the decision should be in the hands of the Legislature. august Asseblymember Susan Talamantes Eggman reintroduces the End of Life Option Act as ABX 2-15 during Gov. Jerry Brown’s extraordinary session on health care.
New poll by the University of California, Berkeley shows three out of four Californians support the End of Life Option Act.
CA Campaign Report 7 the power of the latino media campaign in CA
e launched a Spanish- various Spanish-language publications, language media campaign including La Opinion, HOY and Wby working with Brittany’s Latino California. Catholic husband, Dan Diaz, to garner support for medical aid-in-dying In addition, we pitched stories to legislation from Latinos, the nation’s Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, an fastest-growing ethnic group and Emmy-award-winning journalist 16 percent of its population. This dubbed the “Latino Walter Cronkite” targeted effort was critical for the and the voice of 11.6 million Latino passage of California’s End of Life immigrants in the United States. Option Act. Ramos publically endorsed our bill
¡ya puedes prepararte en after an interview with Dan Diaz. Ciudadanía: español para tu examen! P. 12 75¢ With guidance from our research,
Seis años de cárcel we created emotional messaging to Our team also promoted the por estafadora La Opinión Mujer de Whittier engañó a laopinion.com facebook.com/ laopinionLA cientos de propietarios con la reach voters and inoculate them endorsement of the End of Life Miércoles 7 de octubre de 2015 ALTA 82º BAJA 64º promesa de reducir hipotecas P. 4 against the fear-based misinformation Option Act from Latino labor leader ‘QUIERO campaigns from our opponents. and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta. MORIR She joined other prominent Latinos CON We successfully pitched stories for we reached out to in support of the DIGNIDAD’ multiple interviews with national bill, including actor, director and Aunque a Christy O’Donnell Spanish language media giants, activist Edward James Olmos. le quedan pocos meses de vida, espera beneficiarse de la nueva ley de including La Opinion (the leading muerte asistida P. 2 y 3 Spanish-language daily newspaper in At the end of our campaign,
El Tri ya tiene the United States), Telemundo and Compassion & Choices reached entrenador Juan Carlos Osorio es colombiano, no Univision, which has higher ratings millions of Latino readers and viewers presume títulos y se ¿Médicos en complicidad? Lo capturan por una calcomanía Los doctores en centros de LAPD condena video viral de un distingue por ser un detención ganan buen dinero rapero que sigue a una patrulla hombre cauteloso P. 31 con ICE; ahora los critican P. 12 con una pistola en su auto P. 5 than ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX via Spanish-language media outlets networks in key demographic groups. that were once reluctant to cover our issue. In total, we generated more We also published editorials authored than 32,000 new stories, including by Dan Diaz and Dr. Robert Olvera, over 300 columns, editorials and a Catholic, Harvard-trained East Los opinion pieces. Angeles physician whose daughter suffered horribly before her death at California newspapers, including La age 25 from leukemia. We also told Opinion, wrote editorials urging the the stories of Latino ministers who legislature to pass the End of Life counseled terminally ill people in Option Act and for California’s Gov. their final days. Jerry Brown to sign the bill into law.
Our efforts also involved giving And the Catholic California governor editorial board meeting presentations made history by signing the End of on the issue that led to endorsements Life Option Act. of the End of Life Option Act by
8 CA campaign report storytellers volunteers
s part of the launch of the personal experiences saying why aid-in-dying campaign in 2014, they supported our campaign. Awe initiated a storytelling program to share real-life experiences We met Anita Freeman in August that compellingly illustrated the need 2014, and we produced a video that for aid in dying in California. outlined her sister’s struggles during the five agonizing weeks before she Our goal was to find messengers to died from lung, liver and spinal cancer represent the vast ethnic, cultural a few months earlier. Her heartbreaking and religious identities that make our story caught the attention of Los state a true melting pot. Angeles Times’ Steve Lopez, who wrote a column headlined “Death Because family is inextricably part with dignity movement springs back of everyone’s life and death, we to life in California.” incorporated the importance of family into our communications. While our When Brittany died, Californians national communications team was living with a terminal disease or who already working with Jennifer Glass, had suffered watching loved ones die a San Mateo woman living with in pain came forward to talk about terminal lung cancer, we needed aid in dying more openly than ever additional Californians to share their before.
WITH GRATITUDE
We are very thankful to our storytellers for traveling to Sacramento to testify in support of the End of Life Option Act. Many of them left their families and postponed medical appointments to make themselves available for our hearings, press conferences and rallies with very short notice. We could not have achieved this victory without their support.
Debbie Ziegler Dr. Robert Olvera Dan Diaz Rev. Ignacio Castuera Christy O’Donnell Dr. Ben Rich Elizabeth Wallner Dr. Mike Turbow Christina Symonds Dr. David Grube
CA Campaign Report 9 2 0 15 september Bill clears Assembly Public Health and Developmental Services on bipartisan vote of 10-3.
The Assembly Committee on Finance paves the way for full Assembly vote by approving the California bill by a vote of 5-3.
CA Assembly passes first medical aid-in-dying bill in state’s history by a vote of 44-35. Dr. Robert Olvera speaks at a rally outside a legislator’s office in Southern California. Bill lands on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk. doctors for dignity october Governor Brown makes history by signing the End of Life Option e launched the California efforts on the historic change of Act. California becomes fifth Doctors for Dignity program position from the California Medical state to pass an aid-in-dying law. Wto recruit physicians, other Association. To date, Compassion healthcare professionals and & Choices has 148 doctors and 115 associations that support the End healthcare professionals who are of Life Option campaign. part of Doctors for Dignity, as well as 18 national and state healthcare For months, doctors in the Golden organizations that endorsed State organized and advocated for California’s End of Life Option Act. the legislation before the California Medical Association (CMA). These “We believe it is up to the individual efforts paid off in May when the physician and their patient to decide powerful CMA dropped its historic voluntarily whether the End of Life opposition of the End of Life Option Option Act is something in which Act after 28 years. they want to engage. Protecting that physician-patient relationship Our Doctors for Dignity initiative is essential.” helps educate and engage doctors, healthcare professionals and Luther F. Cobb, M.D. associations in support of aid in President dying. In California, doctors focused California Medical Association
10 CA campaign report honoring their wives’ lives and deaths
Dan Diaz and Harlan Seymour
hese two men married side effects of potentially life-prolonging extraordinary women who died treatments would rob her of any Ttoo young from cancer. Both quality of life. Brittany researched her their wives were brilliant, beautiful options and asked her family to move Californians who made deeply with her to Oregon so she could personal videos viewed by millions access aid in dying, which is authorized of Americans. And each woman by the state’s Death With Dignity Act. made a request of her husband that Once settled in Portland, Brittany for dignity they were proud to fulfill: to hold contacted Compassion & Choices them as they died and to take up and offered to help. their selfless battles to spare other Americans similar suffering. In August of 2014, she recorded what became a viral video about her decision In August of 2012, Harlan married and her belief in end-of-life options. Jennifer Glass. Just before the New At the same time, Jennifer, who Year, he noticed the small lump on had also partnered with C&C, was Jennifer always said that having the Jennifer’s neck, which revealed the celebrating a full year with no cancer option of medical aid in dying might lung cancer that would take her in growth after successful treatments. not make her fearless, but it would less than three years. Jennifer, a public The next few months were busy. help her to fear less. Brittany said relations professional who believed having it gave her a sense of peace in the power of stories, chose to As similar as their stories are, their in the face of fear and uncertainty. share her life with cancer in order to wives had very different deaths. live purposefully and give strength Brittany died peacefully in Dan’s arms Today, their widowers continue to others facing a similar diagnosis. on Nov. 1, 2014. The aid-in-dying advocating for end-of-life options. prescription from her doctor allowed They are also encouraged knowing Dan married Brittany Maynard in Brittany to pass away gently. half the states have now taken up September of 2012. Just over a year similar death-with-dignity bills. later, they learned the headaches she’d But Jennifer did not have a peaceful been suffering were caused by a brain death. As her pain became unbearable, Both men continue their wives’ work tumor. After an eight-hour brain surgery she opted for palliative sedation, which — to pass laws that leave end-of-life and the tumor’s return, Brittany came some say is a good alternative to aid decisions where they belong, to a heartbreaking realization: No in dying. But for Jennifer, it was not, between terminally ill individuals treatment could save her life, and the and she died after five traumatic days. and their doctors.
CA Campaign Report 11 in memoriam:
Jennifer Glass
Jennifer Glass was a tireless advocate for end-of-life options in California and around the country. Unfortunately, she was not able to take advantage of the option — medical aid in dying — for which she fought so hard.
In January of 2013, Jennifer began aggressive chemotherapy Herb Orban and radiation, and took oral chemotherapy medication that had Herb Orban from Yucca Valley difficult side effects but contained fought for the End of Life Option the cancer. However, in June 2015, Act until his death on Sept. 2, a CT scan showed her cancer had 2015. spread to her lungs, liver, abdomen, Michelle Ann pelvis and brain. She no longer Herb was diagnosed with stage could tolerate chemo and entered IV cancer in his lungs and lymph Reuter-Zsarko hospice in July. nodes in 2010. He underwent countless radiation treatments, Michelle Ann Reuter-Zsarko of Jennifer underwent palliative sedation multiple surgeries and a clinical Tujunga died on March 1, 2015, because her symptoms had become trial only to learn that there was after an exhausting six-year battle unbearable. She was unable to no medicine or treatment to cure with cancer. In the final stages of breathe and in enormous pain. his illness. Herb spent his last days her illness, Michelle wanted the in hospice, connected to a pump option of medical aid in dying Her dying wish was to make sure with medication that did little to because it would have shortened that we continued the fight to pass alleviate his pain. her dying process. Her biggest the vital legislation that would allow fear was dying in pain and leaving people like her to take advantage of “I simply want the option to die her beloved wife, Deb, with those medical aid in dying. with less suffering. My biggest memories. fear is dying in pain and leaving “I am doing anything I can to extend my beloved wife, Gina, with “The pain is too much, and I can’t my life. No one should have the right horrible memories that will haunt walk or sit anymore. I can’t do this to prolong my death.” her forever.” anymore.”
-JENNIFER GLASS -HERB ORBAN -MICHELLE ANN REUTER-ZSARKO
12 CA campaign report christy’s courageous journey
hristy O’Donnell’s doctors may head and neck, Christy traveled to have put an expiration date on Sacramento to testify in support of Cher life, but that did not stop the bill before the Senate and the her from fighting for other terminally Assembly, fought a lawsuit, spoke to ill Californians like herself. reporters, rallied legislators’ offices in the hot sun, and even made a public So the single mother, civil rights video plea to Gov. Jerry Brown to attorney and former LAPD sergeant sign the End of Life Option Act. with lung, brain, liver, rib and spine Merla Zellerbach cancer embarked on a journey with Christy died on February 6, 2016. Compassion & Choices to help bring She was unable to use the option Merla Zellerbach, civic leader, end-of-life options to California. provided by this law, which had not author, philanthropist, TV yet gone into effect at the time of personality and columnist, died of “But as I am dying, I feel I have to her death. She knew this was likely, pancreatic cancer Dec. 26, 2014. speak out so people can understand but she was still proud to make a that California’s current laws will difference. Merla, 82, was an exceptional prevent my daughter, Bailey, from woman who devoted a lifetime sitting at my bedside surrounded by “I’m overjoyed for all the terminally to civic leadership. She was our support system as I take my last ill in California, who can now relax a dedicated supporter of breath in our home,” she said. knowing they finally have the choice Compassion & Choices. of aid in dying as one of their end- O’Donnell was diagnosed with lung of-life options,” she said in October. “Doctors have it hammered into cancer in 2014. She soon learned that “Governor Brown, you have made me their heads to do no harm,” she the cancer was aggressive. Christy’s a proud Californian today knowing I told the San Francisco Chronicle doctors said she would likely die live in a state where our governor acts a few days before her death. painfully within the next few months in accordance with what his people “But it’s pretty harmful to let from the rapidly spreading disease. need, want and deserve. In this case, people suffer.” a peaceful and pain-free death with Despite her excruciating headaches, their family.” -MERLA ZELLERBACH debilitating nausea, and pain in her
CA Campaign Report 13 implementation
ompassion & Choices has now and our vast network of volunteers Through this hotline, practicing launched a bilingual campaign to conduct community trainings to physicians will be able to access Cto educate terminally ill ensure that all Californians know our free Doc2Doc consultation Californians, families and medical about medical aid in dying as one program to speak to doctors with providers about the benefits and end-of-life option. years of experience in end-of-life requirements of the End of Life care, including medical aid in dying. Option Act. Terminally ill Californians and their Pharmacists will also be able to families, physicians and pharmacists access experienced pharmacists We are partnering with medical can call a free hotline, 800-893- through the Pharmacist2Pharmacist centers, hospice facilities, community 4548, to access bilingual information consultation program. health centers, nonprofit organizations on the End of Life Option Act.
Elizabeth Wallner speaks in Sacramento during launch of the California Access Campaign.
14 CA campaign report the oregon experience
mplemented in 1997, Oregon’s participate in activities that make life » Aid in dying is completely first-in-the-nation law authorizing enjoyable and loss of dignity. voluntary for both doctors and Ideath with dignity has been rigorously patients; doctors may decline the observed and documented by According to family members of request, and patients may rescind scientists, journalists and public Oregonians who formally request aid it. And of course, eligible patients health officials. The resulting record in dying, the top concerns for the may receive the prescription and offers important insight into who uses dying person are being able to never consume it since it is a aid in dying and how it works. control the circumstances of death, self-administered medication. Importantly, it also shows that none wanting to die at home and fearing of the fears opponents of the law loss of dignity. There has not been a single reported have raised over the years have incident of abuse or coercion under materialized. WHO USES IT: Oregon’s death-with-dignity law.
WHO THINKS ABOUT IT: » Since 1997, Oregon doctors have End-of-life care overall has improved One in six dying Oregonians have written 1,173 aid-in-dying pre- in Oregon since the law’s implementation, considered requesting the aid-in- scriptions. Of these, 752 patients in large part due to the dialogue the dying medication seriously enough have used the medication to death-with-dignity law encourages to discuss it with their families. shorten their dying process and and mandates between physicians 421 have chosen not to use it. and patients. Hospice referrals are up, as is the use of morphine for WHO ASKS FOR IT: » 98 percent of Oregonians who palliative care. Oregon now has the According to physicians prescribing receive and consume the medica- lowest rate of in-hospital deaths and aid-in-dying medication, the top tion are enrolled in hospice; more the highest rate of at-home deaths in three concerns their terminally ill than 98 percent are covered by the nation. patients cite for requesting it are Medicare, Medicaid or private loss of autonomy, inability to insurance.
CA Campaign Report 15 glossary of terms HOW TO ACCESS THE
Decide what you want, and tell your loved ones today. END OF LIFE OPTION Use these definitions to make sure everyone is on the same page. For more end-of-life planning resources ACT IN CALIFORNIA. visit CompassionAndChoices.org. To qualify for medical aid in dying Advance directive – A legal document comprised under California’s law, among other of a “living will” and a “healthcare durable power of attorney.” In a living will people outline their end-of- requirements, an individual must be: life medical wishes in the event they are unable to » A terminally ill adult with a prog- communicate. The durable power of attorney allows people who are unable to communicate to appoint nosis of six months or less to live another person, called a healthcare agent or proxy, to make medical decisions on their behalf. » Mentally capable of making healthcare decisions Palliative care – Sometimes called “comfort care,” » Making an informed decision, palliative care is aimed at relieving a person’s pain through medication, physical therapy, spiritual counseling or other which includes being given methods, and with the understanding that the treatment information about all end-of is not intended to cure or prolong the person’s life. life options
Aid in dying – The process that allows a mentally capable, » Capable of self-administering terminally ill adult to legally request a prescription for and ingesting the aid-in-dying a medication from their physician that they can decide medication to take to end their suffering and die peacefully. The medication must be self-administered. Talk to your medical providers now DNR – Stands for ”do not resuscitate,” a medical order about the qualification requirements documenting an individual’s request (made while that to ensure that this end-of-life care person is able and conscious, or by that person’s healthcare proxy if he or she is not) that no measures option is available to you later if you be taken to resuscitate them should their heart or want it. breathing stop. For more information on the End of Palliative sedation – The continuous administration of medication to relieve severe, intractable symptoms that Life Option Act or to get involved, cannot be controlled while the person is conscious. visit EndofLifeOption.org, This state is maintained until death occurs. CompassionAndChoices.org/ Voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) – California or call our free bilingual The conscious refusal to accept fluids or nutrition. This hotline 800.893.4548 procedure is gaining in popularity and acceptance as a method of ending prolonged suffering.