California 5th State To Adopt Historic 'Right To Die' Law

California has become the fifth state where terminally ill patients are permitted to end their lives with the assistance of a doctor.

On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act, a law that will become effective from next year, according to San Jose Mercury News.

"The crux of the matter is whether the State of California should continue to make it a crime for a dying person to end his life, no matter how great his pain or suffering," Brown, a lifelong Catholic and Jesuit seminarian, said in a signing statement that accompanied his signature, reported The Associated Press.

"In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death. I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill."

There are some conditions under which the person can end his life. Two doctors need to confirm that the patient has just six months or less to live, while the patent has to give in a written request and also two oral requests that are at least 15 days apart.

Moreover, patients should be "physically capable of making their own health care decisions and taking medication themselves" according to the law.

Typically, the patient will be given "a deadly dose of barbiturates" such as Seconal.

The other states that allow the law include Oregon, Montana, Vermont and Washington. One aid-in-dying case is under dispute in the New Mexico Supreme Court,

Opponents of the bill included religious activists and supporters of people with disabilities, who cried that the law contravenes the will of God by legalizing suicide and leading to terminally ill patients forced into killing themselves.