Brittany Maynard's Family to Release Her Video Testimony Urging Passage of Medical Aid-in-Dying Bills in 45 States

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Brittany Maynard's family and Compassion & Choices will hold a news conference with cosponsors of a California bill to authorize the medical option of aid in dying to release her videotaped testimony urging its passage. Maynard wrote and recorded her testimony urging lawmakers in California and other states to enact laws authorizing this end-of-life option a few weeks before she died on Nov. 1, 2014. Since then, legislators in Washington, DC and at least 17 other states have introduced such legislation.  Currently, only five states authorize the medical option of aid in dying: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and New Mexico.     

The release of Brittany Maynard's videotaped testimony by her husband, Dan Diaz, at the 10:30am PST news conference will precede the submission of her written testimony by her mother, Deborah Ziegler, during the first hearing on the California End of Life Option Act (SB 128) before the Senate Health Committee at 1:30pm PST. The bill would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults in the final stages of their disease to request a doctor's prescription for medication that they could take to die peacefully if their suffering becomes unbearable.

WHY: California voters support the medical option of aid in dying by more than a 2-1 margin (64% vs. 24%). Yet, 20 years after Oregon voters passed our nation's first death-with-dignity law in 1994, California still has not authorized this end-of-life option.  Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old Californian who had terminal brain cancer, brought international attention to this problem when she had to move to Oregon to utilize its death-with-dignity law.  

WHO:
News Conference Participants:

Sen. Bill Monning, 17^th Dist., End of Life Option Act (SB 128) cosponsor
Sen. Lois Wolk, 3^rd Dist., End of Life Option Act (SB 128) cosponsor
Assembly member Susan Talamantes Eggman, 13^th Dist., End of Life Option Act (SB 128) cosponsor
Deborah Ziegler, Brittany Maynard's mother
Dan Diaz, Brittany Maynard's husband (who will show Maynard's video testimony)
Dr. Robert Olvera, physician whose 25-year-old daughter suffered in agony for four months before she died from leukemia last year                       

Hearing Witnesses:

Dr. Mike Turbow, certified oncologist (retired), teaches end-of-life issues at Stanford University School of Medicine
Christy O'Donnell, terminally ill single mom/medical aid-in-dying supporter
Deborah Ziegler, Brittany Maynard's mom (who will submit Maynard's written testimony)
Other witnesses to be determined                       

WHEN:
News Conference: March 25, 2015, 10:30 a.m., PST

Hearing: March 25, 2015, 1:30 p.m., PST

WHERE:
News Conference Location: California State Capitol, Room 113, Sacramento, CA 95814

Hearing Location: California State Capitol, Room 4203, Sacramento, CA 95814

HOW: Journalists who are unable to attend the news conference can watch a live video stream of it at: http://sd17.senate.ca.gov/ or http://sd03.senate.ca.gov/  

Journalists who are unable to attend the hearing can watch a live video stream of it once the hearing begins at 1:30pm: http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/

CALIFORNIA MEDIA CONTACTS:
Patricia A. González-Portillo, (323) 819-0310, [email protected]
Christal Smith, (323) 804-2119, [email protected]

NATIONAL MEDIA CONTACT:
Sean Crowley, (202) 496-8520, [email protected]

ABOUT COMPASSION & CHOICES:
Compassion & Choices is the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. Leading the end-of-life choice movement for more than 30 years, we support, educate and advocate. In 2014, C&C launched a campaign to make death with dignity an end-of-life option for Californians. More information is available at: www.compassionandchoices.org

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150324/DC63001 
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140312/DC81938LOGO-b 

SOURCE Compassion & Choices

Related Links

http://CompassionAndChoices.org