Opponents of a new California law that will allow terminally ill patients to legally end their own lives say they did not collect enough signatures to ask voters to repeal the law.
The group Seniors Against Suicide had hoped to take the right-to-die question to California voters in November. Proponents needed to submit nearly 366,000 signatures by Monday to qualify for the ballot.
But backer Mark Hoffman says in an email to supporters that the group does not have enough signatures to qualify.
Right-to-die was among the most hotly contested issues last year. The legislative debate followed the case of Brittany Maynard, a terminally ill 29-year-old who moved to Oregon from California to take her own life. In a video aired posthumously, Maynard called for California lawmakers to legalize the option.
Under the law, two doctors must determine that a patient has six months or less to live. The patient must request the life-ending medications and be physically able to swallow the drugs. Patients must be mentally competent to make the decision and reaffirm the decision in writing within 48 hours of taking the medication.