Should California’s right-to-die law expand to include people with dementia? One legislator wants to consider it

California is one of only a handful of states that allows what’s called medical aid in dying, the option for people diagnosed with a terminal illness — and who meet a tight set of criteria — to end their lives with doctor-prescribed drugs.

But should the nearly decade-old law be expanded to include more people, particularly someone who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia?

That’s the conversation Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, plans to have in 2025.