skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear program, says Pentagon assessment; Dems join GOP to kill vote impeaching Trump over Iran strikes; Health gaps persist for American Indian, Alaska Native Coloradans; Alternative payment models better for WA patients, providers; New CT law ends election agency's independence.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Some members of Congress are upset about lack of transparency on Iran policy, but House Speaker questions constitutionality of War Powers Resolution, and Fed Chair explains why interest rates aren't being cut.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Giant data centers powering artificial intelligence want cheap rural land but some communities are pushing back, Hurricane Helene mobilized a North Carolina town in unexpected ways, and Cherokee potters make ceramics that honor multiple generations.

Report Examines Who's Using Calif. Aid-In-Dying Law

play audio
Play

Friday, July 10, 2020   

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - More patients with terminal illnesses in California are making their decisions to end their suffering using the state's aid-in-dying law.

The number last year was 405, compared to 337 people the year before, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health.

Samantha Trad, California state director of the nonprofit Compassion & Choices says the law is working as intended. But she believes it would be even more effective if California doctors were allowed to make exceptions to the waiting period, like they can in Oregon.

"The main doctor who ends up writing the prescription can actually waive the mandatory minimum 15 day waiting period in Oregon," says Trad, "if the patient is unlikely to survive the waiting process."

A study done by Kaiser Permanente of Southern California showed that one third of patients who request the medication die before completing the lengthy application process.

The new report from the state also found big disparities in who actually uses the law. The patients are 87% white.

Just over 1% are Black. Four percent are Hispanic. And 6.4% percent are Asian American.

Patricia González-Portillo, national Latino communications and constituency director with Compassion & Choices, says the low number of Latino patients may be the result of this group, in particular, ending up in religious hospitals that don't allow their doctors to participate in medical aid-in-dying.

"There are some Latinos that don't want to suffer at the end of life," says González-Portillo. "They want that option to be able to take a medication, surrounded by their loved ones, and die peacefully. Not be forced to suffer at the end of life. We want those options."

She says Compassion & Choices is currently running a series of public service announcements on TV and social media across the state, to raise awareness in communities of color of the option of medical aid-in-dying. These are also posted on the organization's YouTube channel.

Disclosure: Compassion & Choices contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, Senior Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Arkansas' ballot initiative process allows citizens to propose statutes or constitutional amendments and collect signatures to place the proposals on a ballot. League members say bills passed by lawmakers have taken those rights away. (edbockstock/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Members of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas are collecting signatures to add a constitutional amendment to the November 2026 ballot. The …


Social Issues

play sound

Ohio union and clean energy leaders are urging their U.S. Senators to reject a sweeping reconciliation bill they said would devastate families and …

Social Issues

play sound

American Indian and Alaska Native communities in Colorado continue to face significant gaps in health care access, quality and outcomes, according to …


Environment

play sound

Minnesotans are cooling off after last weekend's extreme heat but communities bearing the brunt of environmental injustice said there will be more cli…

The cost of care for dementia patients varies widely by state. At $55,000 per year, care for patients in California is slightly more expensive than the national average.(Ocskay Bence/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

In California, families shoulder most of the burden of dementia care, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Washington found …

Social Issues

play sound

Ho-Chunk has kicked off its summer internship program in Nebraska after sifting through 600 applicants. It is opening pathways to higher education …

Social Issues

play sound

Six Michigan projects have been awarded funding through AARP's largest-ever Community Challenge grant, aimed at making communities more livable…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021