Overview
- Gavin Newsom described being present when his mother, Tessa, ended her life in 2002, calling the experience painful and far from peaceful.
- He said he and his sister gave their mother regular pain medication shortly before a physician administered the lethal dose, and he remained with her afterward.
- Assisted dying was illegal in California in 2002; the state legalized medical aid-in-dying in 2015 and later made it permanent.
- As governor, Newsom signed measures that shortened the waiting period for medication from 15 days to 48 hours and removed the law’s sunset clause in 2025.
- Commentators critical of Newsom argue his account describes actions that were unlawful under 2002 statutes, a contested interpretation reported without any resulting legal action.