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ASSISTED-SUICIDE BILL ALIVE AGAIN UNDER NEW NAME

Diocese of Orange urges Catholics to act again to defeat legislation that would legalize physician-assisted suicide

By Staff     8/18/2015

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is calling on all who are opposed to the former SB 128, known as the Assisted-Suicide Bill, to rally once again to help defeat efforts to legalize assisted suicide in the state of California.

SB 128, which would have allowed physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients, was pulled from the Assembly Health Committee in early July after it was clear that not enough votes were behind the bill to pass it in the 19-member committee.

Today, it was announced that supporters of the bill have reintroduced it under a new name: AB X2 15, End of Life.

The Compassion and Choices group, formerly named the Hemlock Society, intend to push AB X2 15 cloaked within a “special session,” a process that is normally reserved for emergency actions, such as disaster recovery funding.

AB X2 15 is identical to the former SB 128 in every way except in its name.

“This is a heavy-handed attempt to force through a bill that could not get any traction at all in committee,” the coalition Californians Against Assisted Suicide said in a statement.

According to the Californians Against Assisted Suicide website: Assisted suicide is opposed by a broad coalition including Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, California Disability Alliance, Association of Northern California Oncologists, Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, Alliance of Catholic Healthcare, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, National Council on Independent Living, ADAPT, American Association of People with Disabilities, United African American Action Ministerial Council , The Arc California and dozens of others.

In a message to all opposed to assisted suicide, the Diocese of Orange is requesting a strong show of opposition to the reintroduction of the bill under the name AB X2 15.

Those opposed are urged to do the following:

Contact Your Legislator

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