California passes right-to-die bill

The bill passed by US state legislators on Friday would allow mentally competent patients to request a prescription to end their lives. Two doctors would have to agree and it would apply only to patients with six months left to live. The person has also to be judged mentally competent by a mental health professional.

The California State Senate passed the bill by a vote of 23-14 on Friday after it was approved by the State Assembly on Wednesday. "Eliminate the needless pain and the long suffering of those who are dying," Senator Lois Wolk had urged ahead of the vote.

Some religious organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church, opposed the bill. The California Medical Association has opposed assisted suicide for many years but it withdrew its opposition last May and adopted a neutral stance.

The bill now has to be approved, or vetoed, by state governor Jerry Brown. The former Catholic seminarian has not said whether or not he will sign.

California has a population of 38.8 million people.

Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state have court decisions or laws permitting doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs in certain cases.

UK parliament

The UK parliament on Friday voted three to one against assisted suicide. Following a debate, 330 MPs opposed the Assisted Dying Bill while just 118 backed the proposals to legalize a procedure for people with terminal illnesses to end their own lives.

The scale of the Bill's defeat means the issue is unlikely to come before Britain's Parliament again for at least another decade.

jm/bw (AP, Reuters)