Brittany Maynard’s legacy will allow euthanasia in California.

Brittany Maynard was bubbly, bright and beautiful.

She was also terminally ill with brain cancer.

The 29-year-old chose to take control over when her life would end – taking a lethal dose of prescribed drugs on November 1, last year.

But the Californian native had to go interstate, to Oregon, to fulfil her wish.

She wanted new legislation granting terminally ill people the right to die with dignity to be her legacy. And now, it appears to be just days away in her home state.

The Californian State Assembly has approved legislation allowing terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to legally end their lives with a doctor’s help and the Senate is expected to endorse the bill within days, CBS reports.

Four US states – Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana – currently allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs and at least 24 states have unsuccessfully introduced aid-in-dying legislation this year.

After listening to emotional and religious arguments on both sides, the Assembly voted 42-33 in favour of granting the right to die.

Passing the legislation in the assembly was the obstacle; an earlier version of the bill had previously passed in the Senate, News Limited reports.

But the proposed law has since had several protections added in, including requirements that the patient take the medication themselves, have the plan approved by two doctors, submit written requests and have witnesses.

Ms Maynard galvanised the right-to-die movement last year, making her views on the topic loud and clear.

“How dare the government make decisions or limit options for terminally-ill people like me?” she said in a video posted to YouTube before her death.

Her husband, Dan Diaz, quit his job to dedicate himself to right-to-die advocacy group Compassion and Choices.

“You apply for that medication, you secure it, you put it in the cupboard, and you keep fighting,” Diaz said.
“You just have that there as a last resort.”

And – thanks to his wife – Californians will likely soon have that choice.