California bill SB 128, which sought the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, has been shelved and will likely not return until next year.

Backed by prominent Democrats and the California Medical Association, the End of Life Option Act would allow physicians to "prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients." Though the bill gained significant momentum in June when it passed the California senate by a vote of 23 to 14, it could not gain the votes necessary Tuesday to pass the 19-member Assembly Health Committee.

According to SCPR, the bill faced significant "opposition from religious groups, particularly the Catholic Church." Reportedly, the LA Archdiocese under the leadership of Archbishop Jose Gomez lobbied Democrats, primarily in Latino districts, who sit on the health committee to withhold support. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) based her opposition to the bill on the impact it could have on the impoverished.

"I’m uncomfortable based on the experiences of my mom who died of terminal illness," Gonzalez said in a statement after the bill was shelved. "I’m uncomfortable based on the impact this will have on poor people in a health care system that cuts corners in the name of costs, and I’m uncomfortable with the way suicide could be viewed across society, not just the terminal ill."

Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) echoed her sentiments, saying in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, "Medicine is organized to promote wellness, not death."

In no way does Tuesday's shelving mean the bill's demise, with both authors – Democratic Senators Lois Wolk and Bill Monning – pledging to bring it back next year after hopefully lobbying reluctant committee members.

"We have chosen not to present SB 128, the End of Life Option Act, today in the Assembly Health Committee," the senators said in a statement. "We continue to work with Assembly members to ensure they are comfortable with the bill."

While content to shelve the bill, the authors also highlighted the deep misfortune that some people will have to wait before they get to kill themselves.

"For dying Californians, like Jennifer Glass, who was scheduled to testify today, this issue is urgent," the bill authors said. "It is urgent for Christy O’Donnell, for Michael Saum and hundreds of other Californians. We remain committed to passing the End of Life Option Act for all Californians who want and need the option of medical aid in dying."

One of the main "death with dignity" groups backing the bill, Compassion & Choices, has also vowed to keep up the fight, saying "the battle is far from over."

"We owe it to terminally ill Californians to pursue every available remedy to give them relief from unbearable suffering," said Toni Broaddus, campaign director for Compassion & Choices. "SB 128 is still alive and well, even though we weren’t ready for it to be heard before the Assembly Health Committee."

Groups opposing the bill vowed also to fight against its defeat and cheered the bill's shelving.

"I think it’s a good day for those most vulnerable in California, particularly from the disability rights community who have been organized for years fighting against assisted suicide proposals," said Tim Rosales, spokesman for Californians Against Assisted Suicide. "It's not about taking someone off of life support," he said. "It's not about someone having the right to refuse extraordinary means. Assisted suicide is simply about a doctor prescribing a lethal overdose of pills for the purpose of someone ending their life."