Meet Garrett M. Eckerling MD,
Medical Aid-in-Dying Physician
Specializing in end-of-life care, Dr. Garrett Eckerling is deeply committed to providing compassionate support to individuals navigating the complexities of terminal illnesses. With a profound understanding of the emotional, physical, and ethical aspects of end-of-life decisions, he offers medical aid in dying to those who seek it.
Dr. Eckerling believes in educating, and empowering his patients, and their families and friends with informed choices, ensuring his patients receive the utmost care and dignity in their final journey.
California's End of Life Option Act
California's End of Life Option Act, which went into effect in 2016, is a law that allows terminally ill adults in California to request and receive medical aid-in-dying. Under this law, individuals who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and have a prognosis of six months or less to live, can request a prescription for medication that they can self-administer to hasten their death. It provides a legal option for terminally ill individuals to have some control over the timing, and manner of their death. To be eligible, patients must be mentally competent, make two oral requests at least 48 hours apart, and submit a written request in the presence of two witnesses, only one of whom may be a family member.
The law also includes safeguards to ensure that patients are making informed, and voluntary decisions. It requires physicians to inform patients about all available end-of-life options, including palliative care and hospice, and to assess the patient's mental capacity to make this decision.
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED)
VSED is a practice where a person intentionally chooses to cease eating and drinking with the goal of hastening their own death. This is typically done in the context of end-of-life decision making, often by the individuals who are suffering from a terminal illness, or are experiencing unbearable suffering. VSED is considered a form of passive euthenasia, and is a complex, and ethically debated issue.
Meet with me.
As a medical aid-in-dying physician, I support you, and your family and friends at your end of life. Is this right for you?