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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has published a report including the number of individuals known to have taken their lives under California's end of life bill. The law requires the CDPH to provide annual reports about the effects of the law. 111 people have died after taking prescribed aid-in-dying drugs from June 9th, 2016 to December 31st, 2016 (subsequent reports will cover full calendar years):
The law — which allows terminally ill adults to obtain life-ending drugs from their doctors — took effect on June 9, 2016. Between then and the end of the year, 191 people received prescriptions under the act and 111 people died after taking prescribed aid-in-dying drugs, according to a report released Tuesday by the California Department of Public Health.
In that time period, a total of 258 people began the end-of-life process under the law, which requires patients to make two verbal requests to their doctors at least 15 days apart.
Previously: California Legislature Approves Bill Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide - UK Reject Similar Law
California to Permit Assisted Suicide Starting June 9th, Could Raise Smoking Age to 21
(Score: 4, Touché) by sjames on Friday June 30 2017, @04:17PM (6 children)
If you devote enough time and energy into telling other people not to collect stamps, that could be considered a hobby.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday June 30 2017, @05:32PM
This atheist has devoted zero time telling people to not believe in fairy tales. Glad to know my atheism isn't a religion.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @06:27PM (3 children)
The "telling other people" part could be considered a hobby, but not the lack of stamp collecting.
Religion is a complex term and hard to define. I'd say that religions need to have some accepted belief structured around the sacred and supernatural.
Without the supernatural, they would be philosophies. Without the sacred, they would only be superstitions.
Atheism is simply a lack of belief in deities.
Atheists can be religious, superstitious, and/or follow a particular philosophy.
(Score: 1) by butthurt on Friday June 30 2017, @09:24PM (1 child)
> Atheism is simply a lack of belief in deities.
I would call a lack of belief agnosticism. Atheism, I'd say, is the belief that there's no supernatural.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/atheism?r=75&src=ref&ch=dic [dictionary.com]
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/agnosticism?r=75&src=ref&ch=dic [dictionary.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sjames on Monday July 03 2017, @08:38AM
Atheism and Agnosticism come in strong and weak forms.
Weak atheism: There is no (evidence for) god.
Strong atheism: There can be no god in a consistent reality.
Weak agnosticism: We don't understand the nature of god(s)
Strong agnosticism: The nature of god(s) is beyond understanding.
(Score: 2) by Murdoc on Friday June 30 2017, @10:28PM
What if something is considered sacred, but is not supernatural? Is that still a superstition? There a number of newer groups calling their views a religion that find the sacred in what is just natural.
And you're right about atheists can be religious, just like Buddhists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @09:12PM
Veganism: hobby or religion?