Shavelson, M.D. v. California Department of Health Care Services
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
LONNY SHAVELSON, M.D., et al., Case No. 21-cv-06654-VC
Plaintiffs,
ORDER GRANTING MOTIONS TO
v. DISMISS
ROBERT BONTA, et al., Re: Dkt. Nos. 46, 48 Defendants.
California’s End of Life Option Act gives some terminally ill Californians the ability to end their lives with aid-in-dying medication. The Act provides peace of mind to many people who would otherwise face a prolonged and painful death. But the Act does not help everyone. Sandra Morris is in the final stages of a neurodegenerative disease that will eventually claim her life. While she can currently take advantage of the relief provided by the Act, she knows she will lose this opportunity soon: She is imminently at risk of losing the ability to administer aid-in- dying medication on her own—a requirement under the Act. Morris, alongside the doctors who wish to assist her and other patients like her, have filed this lawsuit claiming that the self- administration requirement violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But because allowing physicians to help people ingest aid-in-dying medication would fundamentally…