Governor Jerry Brown approves assisted-suicide bill in California – estate plan implications?

Today’s press release is a continuation of our previous blog last week on the right-to-die bill in California, also called assisted-suicide in the media. It has been reported that Governor Jerry Brown, found the decision to sign the bill a very difficult one. In making his decision to sign the bill, he reflected on his own personal wishes on whether if he would want to prolong his life if in excruciating pain. Governor Brown made his decision and gave his full endorsement.  Now it is every individual’s right in California to make his or her personal wishes clear. Everyone is going to have to do exactly the same thing that Governor Brown did which is reflect on the personal wish and conclude for him or herself.  Deciding to live or die is a very difficult decision to make because you have to choose with living with pain or death. If your wish is to die and to end your suffering, you must communicate that to your physician. They are now permitted to administer and provide lethal prescriptions to hasten your death.  However the law states that doctors or physicians are only permitted to administer and provide lethal prescriptions for mentally competent adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and they have been told they have less than 6 months to live. The legislation is expected to be implemented sometime in 2016 which provides us with the opportunity to consider what it is we want if we were diagnosed with a terminal illness and have less than 6 months to live.

The Velasco Law Group has attorneys who not only walk you through your situational needs, especially in light of the approval of the right-to-die bill in California today.