California Health and Safety Code Section 443.17

CA Health & Safety Code § 443.17 (2017)  

(a) Knowingly altering or forging a request for an aid-in-dying drug to end an individual’s life without his or her authorization or concealing or destroying a withdrawal or rescission of a request for an aid-in-dying drug is punishable as a felony if the act is done with the intent or effect of causing the individual’s death.

(b) Knowingly coercing or exerting undue influence on an individual to request or ingest an aid-in-dying drug for the purpose of ending his or her life or to destroy a withdrawal or rescission of a request, or to administer an aid-in-dying drug to an individual without his or her knowledge or consent, is punishable as a felony.

(c) For purposes of this section, “knowingly” has the meaning provided in Section 7 of the Penal Code.

(d) The attending physician, consulting physician, or mental health specialist shall not be related to the individual by blood, marriage, registered domestic partnership, or adoption, or be entitled to a portion of the individual’s estate upon death.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit civil liability.

(f) The penalties in this section do not preclude criminal penalties applicable under any law for conduct inconsistent with the provisions of this act.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 269, Sec. 3. (SB 811) Effective January 1, 2018. Repealed as of January 1, 2026, pursuant to Section 443.215.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018