Sunset No More: Bill Would Make Assisted Suicide Law Permanent in CA

On August 20, California’s Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider Senate Bill 403, introduced by Senator Catherine Blakespear, a measure that could cement California’s assisted suicide law as a permanent fixture, without the review or accountability promised when it was first approved a decade ago.

This may seem like a technical tweak, removing a “sunset clause” set to expire in 2031, but it is much more than that. SB 403 is a deliberate and dangerous step toward expanding the killing of vulnerable people under the pretense of mercy.

A New Chapter in a Grim Story

Senator Blakespear has not been shy about her ambitions. Speaking at a town hall in Carlsbad last year, she proposed a radical shift in California’s end-of-life policies. Her bill SB 1196 would have expanded eligibility for life-ending drugs to those not terminally ill but suffering from “grievous and irremediable” conditions, like early-stage dementia. Although that proposal failed, Blakespear vowed to continue her campaign, now starting with SB 403’s more incremental approach: making the End of Life Option Act permanent, by eliminating the sunset clause.

This is not moderation. It’s strategy.

Last year alone, 1,281 Californians received drugs from a licensed doctor to end their lives. The law, passed in 2015, was originally marketed with so-called “strict safeguards”—including the 2031 sunset clause. Legislators, hesitant at first, agreed to support the bill only if it came with an expiration date. That provision was meant to ensure future scrutiny and provide time for evaluating the law’s impact.

Now, SB 403 seeks to erase that promise.

The Slippery Slope Is Real

In many Western nations, Belgium, the Netherlands, and especially Canada—assisted suicide laws began with tight boundaries. But those boundaries quickly expanded. “Safeguards” became obstacles. And those once seen as “vulnerable” became candidates for state-sanctioned death.

SB 403 fits this pattern. Just three years after California extended the sunset to 2031, we’re already being told that continued oversight is unnecessary. Why rush to make this permanent if there’s nothing to hide?

The answer: Because the ultimate goal isn’t regulation—it’s normalization.

From “Safe and Rare” to Routine

Senator Blakespear’s rhetoric at her Carlsbad town hall previewed what’s coming next: expanding eligibility to people with non-terminal but “grievous” conditions, including early dementia; legalizing intravenous administration of suicide drugs; and making the program permanent.

In a deeply concerning exchange, Reverend Shockley of Pilgrim United Church of Christ, framed assisted suicide as an issue of religious freedom:

“I believe that a loving, caring, compassionate God takes no delight in my suffering and pain… That’s my faith… and someone else’s interpretation should not prevent me from the free exercise of my religion.”

But freedom of religion does not mean freedom to destroy life.

California Family Council emphatically rejects the idea that faith can justify legalizing mercy killing. Scripture teaches: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV). Life is a sacred gift, not a burden to be discarded when it becomes difficult.

Vulnerable Lives on the Line

The very people assisted suicide claims to protect, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, are the ones most at risk. Once “death with dignity” becomes the default option, it’s only a matter of time before subtle pressures, both economic and social, push people toward it.

The California Department of Public Health still fails to provide comprehensive data on how the law is functioning. Without oversight, we cannot know whether patients are being coerced or properly screened. SB 403 eliminates any chance for future evaluation.

“SB 403 is not just about policy; it’s about the soul of our state,” said Greg Burt, Vice President of California Family Council. “This bill sends a chilling message that some lives are no longer worth protecting. If we make assisted suicide permanent, we are telling the elderly, the disabled, and the depressed that their lives are expendable. That’s not compassion. That’s dehumanizing. That’s abandonment.”

The Christian Response

Churches in California must not remain silent. We must:

• Preach the sanctity of life—even amidst suffering.

• Disciple medical professionals—to reject participation in death as treatment.

• Engage the public square—educating congregations and opposing dangerous laws like SB 403.

• Provide care—so no one feels death is their only option.