even stopped by stopping the war but one that will only get more complicated if we expect people to some day leave the safety of a foreign refuge to go home to ruins. hope you're ready for not only a much longer war but a really difficult peace. i'm ray suarez and that's the "inside story." >> on "america tonight": doing it edna's way. on the job for seven decades she's living proof. you're never too old to help. >> one of my swimming friends said, well, my friends from over in new hampshire said they were in an accident and some old woman helped them. so i know who they were talking about. >> "america tonight's" lisa fletcher goes one on one with a

mayor who makes it easy. >> also her death with dignity debate. >> death was imminent, the manner in which she died she had control over. >> "america tonight's" adam may, the young women at the center of the fight and the final choice now facing california's governor. thanks for being with us, i'm joie chen. this could be a watershed moment in the national debate over our last wishes. california's there right now as a critical piece of legislation sits before governor jerry brown. the so-called right to die bill awaits hissing signatur his sig. other states stand in the wings. "america tonight's" adam may continues the question, with the young women whose lives and deaths have inspired this final decision. >> we cannot legislate morality.

this is a matter of personal choice. >> reporter: california lawmakers debate becoming the next state to legalize medically assisted suicide. one man watching knows the issue as well as anyone. dan diaz was married to britain menard, the california woman suffering from terminal brain cancer who openly lived out her final days advocating for the right to die. >> i still have enough joy and i still laugh and smile with my family and friends enough that it doesn't seem like the right time right now. but it will come because i feel myself getting sicker. it's happening each week. >> reporter: the couple briefly moved to oregon, where doctors can legally prescribe lethal medication. >> and my husband is such a lovely man, i want him to -- you know i understand everyone needs to grieve.

but i want him to be happy. >> reporter: britain ende brittany ended her life in november 2014. >> what's worse a peaceful passing or being tortures to death? death was imminent for brittany, there wasn't anything that would change the fact that she died. the manner in which she died that's what she had control over. >> the 29-year-old became the face of compassionate choices, legalizing the option of physician assistance dying. the controversial end of life choice is currently authorized in just five states but since menard's death two additional states plus the district of columbia have taken up the

issue. >> it's amazing one person one voice can make such a difference. however, the fact that it's getting attention and support that's just reflective of the attitudes of the general public. >> i'm not afraid to die. we're all dying. i think most people are afraid to talk about death. whereas you know for me, it's part of my life to talk about death. >> stephanie packer's body isn't nearly as strong as her spirit. a mother of four young children, she's dying from multiple ailments. every day with her family is a gift. >> wait for me! >> the actual dying, i'm not afraid of that. it's going to happen however it happens and whenever it happens. and i hope it's later than sooner. my fears are all for what happens when my kids get hurt.

and who is going to stay up and worry about them all night long. that's what the mom does. you know? i do. that's my job. >> reporter: packer has joined the fight against california's sb 128, also called the end of life bill. it would allow doctors to write terminally ill patients a prescription for lethal medication. packer would easily meet the criteria. >> circular scleroderma, and suicide disease, 50% of trigeminal neuralgia patients kill themselves within a year of the disease. >> doctors gave packer three years to live three years ago.

although she is running out of treatment options for this devout catholic, ending her life with a pill is unthinkable. >> are you religiously motivated in this? is this your primary reason? >> it is definitely part of my reason but it most definitely is not my only reason. there are very real problems with this bill. >> proants say thoug proponents sea though that this is a choice bill, no doctor will ever force you to take this pill or no insurance company can force you to do it. but they can take away options for you. >> does it save money. >> absolutely. end of life care is the most expensive care out there. >> reporter: how does religion play into this debate? >> the issue here is really that the government should not be in the business of choosing one religion over another, in terms of how the law

works. >> reporter: tony brodus is the director of compassion in choices california. the main group lobbying in favor of sb 128. >> part of getting the medication, i've heard this over and over again is not whether you take it or not. it's knowing that that option is there, knowing you can have a peaceful death. and that allows you to live more fully. >> reporter: but stephanie's choice is different. she wants to honor her catholic faith and taking her own life would be a sin. >> we're talking about your end of life, your kids, what their future will be like with you in it. and yet here you are fighting against this. why? >> this $85 prescription

will be some people's only option. if something like this passes. everyone needs to read what is in this bill and not just come to the table and say, it's a choice. because this is bad medicine. >> reporter: what's wrong with california? >> this is a band-aid solution that over the long term is going to make matters worse. >> dr. aaron karioti is a medical ethicist. >> we know in oregon less than 6% of patients who have died by assisted suicide were ever referred for psychiatric consultation. back when they were tracking this data only 16% of patients got a palliative referral, to get a consult on end of care

before getting a prescription on the deadly drug. >> all the arguments they bring up, it's a slippery slope, the person is simply depressed, this is an act of depression, coercion, the exact same arguments that were brought up 20 years ago, here we are 20 years later april it being in after it being in practice for 20 years, there hasn't been a single practice of those concerns. >> would you wish she had given you more time? >> i always feel that way, i see a photo of her, i think to myself that's my baby. man, the deal was we were supposed to be together forever. that was the deal. that's why we got married. there's all of that, frustration, anger. but my wife took control over her dying process. she harmed no one else along the way. a peaceful passing surrounded by her loved ones.

we should all be so lucky. >> "america tonight's" adam may joins us tonight to follow up on this. adam this young mother you spoke to stephanie as she thinks about her decision, she says her faith is there in front of her leading her and making her decision. but this could also be for governor brown as he considers his decision whether or not the sign. >> joie, the legislation is signature on his desk, he has given no indication which way he's going on this. he's facing lobbying both sides, polling well favorable among california voters. one poll says it's 76%. on the other hand yes. governor brown at one time considered going into the priest priesthood. he is a catholic and the catholic church in california was a main lobbying force trying to defeat the legislation.

the governor is trying to work out other details, and there's no way of telling which way he's going to go on this. >> other states as we noted are watching very carefully to see what california does. >> reporter: yes, california would be by far the largest state to make this option available to people. and you know there's a saying sometimes when it comes to law. what california does can sometimes become a role model for the rest of the nation. and already in just the last couple of days you have lawmakers in new york, in new jersey, in pennsylvania, coming out saying we're watching what's happening in california, their legislature has passed this, and now it is the time for us to make a move. in fact in the last year almost two dozen lawmakers have brought this up in one form or another and these proponents of right to die legislation are feeling momentum. >> and

in california what's inspiring that legislation is what happened in oregon. what has happened in oregon? >> since they passed that legislation in oregon, 1300 prescriptions for life-ending medication have been handed out and 800 people have taken the medication. last year the most so far, just over 100 people, ended their life using the right-to-die legislation. so while a lot of people are talking about this, it's interesting to note that even in states like oregon which has had this on the books now for almost two decades, still a very, very small portion of people are taking this choice. >> "america tonight's" adam may. next we update the attempt to save more students from sex crimes on campus. later on call, the emergency worker who delivers a surprise with every crisis. how about "america tonight's" website now, jaws, getting down

and dirty with a shark for sport or science? at aljazeera.com/americatonight. >> saints and sinners. friends in holy places. >> this murder links the mafia and the church. >> tracking the mob from the dark shadows to the gates of the vatican. >> there's even a mobster who's managed to take the place of the priest. >> what happens when the church stands up to the mob? as the pope visits the u.s., we take a closer look at the pope and the mafia.

>> in our fast forward segment a case we've watched closely here on "america tonight." new criminal charges have been filed in the murder of a virginia college student a death