On June 9th, 2016, California became the latest state to allow physician-assisted suicide. For all of the recent debate over legalizing physician-assisted suicide, one point often fails to be mentioned: Americans who choose to take lethal drugs will be unable to afford it.

Twenty years ago, no one in the United States could claim a right to "physician aid in dying" (also called "physician-assisted suicide"). Today, more than 52 million Americans can.

The End of Life Option Act goes into effect in California on June 9, 2016, joining a handful of other states with similar legislation. The law empowers a terminally ill adult to request and receive a drug to hasten death.

he momentum for such a law has been building since the fall, when the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously struck down a criminal ban on the practice.

Admittedly, the new liberal government has made strides that we would likely not have witnessed under a Conservative version of this law. But as to whether or not the legislation really holds true to the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision, there exists no compelling argument against the assertion that the Trudeau Liberals have fallen short.