In a response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s approval of the Assisted Suicide bill on Monday, opposition groups are already working to overturn the measure. Yesterday one group filed the paperwork necessary to initiate a referendum that, if it appears on the November 2016 ballot and passes, would overturn ABx2-15.
The so-called End of Life Option Act, signed by the governor, will allow physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients who have been told they have six months or less to live. The law is expected to become effective in early 2016.
Seniors Against Suicide began the referendum process yesterday, which included filing papers with the state attorney general. The document, signed by Dr. Mark Hoffman, a clinical psychologist, says the group will work to overturn the bill with others who oppose it. The coalition will soon begin to collect signatures of registered voters who want the referendum on the ballot. The deadline to collect the required 365,880 signatures is Jan. 3.
Tim Rosales, spokesperson for Californians Against Assisted Suicide – an organization with members that include physicians, disability activists and religious groups including the Catholic Church – told the L.A. Times on Tuesday: “We learned about it this afternoon and are studying a number of alternatives.”