Despite opposition from religious organizations, disability rights groups and many physicians, the California legislature approved a bill on Friday to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, according to a Reuters report.
Under the bill, patients who have been deemed mentally competent by a mental health professional and who have been told by at least two physicians that they have only six months to live may request a prescription that would end their life. The bill also specifies that tricking or coercing patients to end their lives would be a felony.
Since the measure was passed by California's Senate with a vote of 23-14, it has been sent to Jerry Brown, the state's governor.
According to the report, Gov. Brown was once a Catholic seminarian and has not publicly stated whether he will sign the bill.
More articles on physician-assisted suicide:
Survey: 54% of physicians support assisted suicide
Poll: Three-quarters of Catholics oppose religious exemptions to care
15 Statistics on American Views of End-of-Life Care