CDA is a statewide, grassroots organization consisting of persons with disabilities and their supporters. Our membership has a broad agenda for promoting the health, independence and full community inclusion of persons with disabilities. Our work has been supported in part by grants from the Disability Rights Advocates Fund of the San Francisco Foundation and the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation.
CDA formed in the spring of 1999 in a successful effort to defeat Dion Aroner's "Death with Dignity Act" (California A.B. 1592). People with disabilities (PWDs), their friends, family members and supporters of human rights from up and down the state gathered energy and linked hands with workers groups, hospice associations, disability rights organizations, medical professionals, Catholics, the Berkeley City Council and others to accomplish this task.
Since that time we have worked hard to promote better health care through legislation, by opposing institutionalized care where health care can be provided within the community, and by advocating and alerting the community about changes in health regulations which impact the lives of persons with disabilities. CDA continues to oppose the legalization of assisted suicide and works to improve end-of-life care.
AB 2747 (Berg-Levine) has been amended several times to remove some of its worst features, but several remaining provisions continue to be troublesome. If you want to review the bill language or any other document related to it, go to the official legislative page for AB 2747.
This stealth assisted suicide bill still calls for discussion of end-of-life choices when a patient is considered "terminal" (defined in current California law as having a prognosis that death will occur within one year). References to "palliative sedation" and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) have been deleted from the bill. Unfortunately, the July 2, 2008, version added a provision that allows discussion of cost considerations. This opens the door to having cost dominate consideration of end-of-life options--a very dangerous proposition for people with disabilities and/or serious health conditions that are expensive to treat.
As of this writing (July 18, 2008), the bill has been approved by two policy committees and awaits a floor vote in the California State Senate. It is expected to come to a vote in August. Please contact your state Senator and urge him/her to vote NO on AB 2747.
Note: CDA supports good palliative care and agressive pain management--including sedation that may, but isn't intended to, hasten death. We oppose AB 2747 because it is misleading and represents a sneaky way to legalize assisted suicide.
--Laura Remson Mitchell
Legislative Coordinator and Member, Executive Committee
California Disability Alliance
Last updated July 18, 2008.
Site last updated July 18, 2008
California Disability Alliance Home Page address is http://www.disweb.org/cda/
For more information or to join California Disability Alliance see About CDA or email af752@lafn.org (Laura Remson Mitchel).
Questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this site should be emailed to charles@EmergingHorizons.com.
CDA web site hosted by DisWeb.org
The work of the California Disability Alliance has been supported in part by grants from The Disability Rights Advocates Fund of the San Francisco Foundation and The Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation.