Media Advisory

Contact: Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director, Life Legal Defense Foundation, 202-717-7371

RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 9, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Friday, March 10, Life Legal attorneys will appear in court in the case of Ahn v. Hestrin. Life Legal represents 6 physicians and the American Academy of Medical Ethics in a challenge to California's assisted suicide law, the End of Life Option Act.

Life Legal attorneys will be available for questions immediately after the hearing.

Where:
Riverside Superior Court
4050 Main Street, Riverside CA

When:   
Hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 10, 2017
Press conference will take place following the hearing

The End of Life Option Act deprives people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness of essential legal protections. The Act does not require even a basic psychological evaluation prior to obtaining a prescription for lethal drugs, even though most people experience depression or anxiety when diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. In fact, patients who are institutionalized in state-run mental hospitals can request a so-called "aid-in-dying" prescription and then be released for the sole purpose of committing suicide. The law does not permit the use of the word suicide. Instead, we must use the euphemism "assisted dying." Death certificates will not indicate that patients died of a self-administered dose of barbiturates taken with the intent to cause their own death, making it nearly impossible to know whether they were coerced or forced to take the drugs.

The judge is expected to rule on the matter by 3:00 p.m. on March 10.

Contact: Alexandra Snyder
Executive Director, Life Legal Defense Foundation
202.717.7371