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California Senate Set to Vote on End-of-Life Options Act

By Kenny Goldberg / Health Reporter,  KPBS Public Broadcasting
Published July 1, 2008 at 1:39 PM PDT

The day of reckoning is coming soon for a bill that would require terminally ill Californians to be told of end-of-life care options. The measure has squeaked through two committees, and the full Sena

California Senate Set to Vote on End-of-Life Options Act

The bill calls for doctors upon request, to give dying patients information about all legal end-of-life choices. These include hospice care and the option to refuse life-sustaining treatments.  Steven Jamison is with the advocacy group Compassion & Choices.

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<b> Steven Jamison: </b> We're not doing anything controversial here. We are saying we need a conversation that is honest, and open about what a patient's choices could be if worse comes to worse. <br>

Disability rights activists have some reservations. They say the measure could encourage some patients to see themselves as terminal, long before that's actually the case.

Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.

Kenny Goldberg
Kenny Goldberg covered health for KPBS, where he reported on a wide range of health-related topics. His radio and television work garnered three Golden Mike awards, Best in Show from the Society of Professional Journalists, and numerous other honors. He has also been awarded fellowships from the New York Times Foundation and the National Press Foundation. In addition to his work for KPBS, Kenny was a frequent contributor to the California Report, heard on public radio stations throughout California. A Seattle native, Kenny graduated from the University of Washington, and began his broadcasting career in the news departments of KOGO and KSDO in San Diego. In his spare time, Kenny loves to practice tai chi, hike, and travel with his wife, Angela.
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