Gavin Newsom recalls mom's last breath in assisted suicide death in new memoir

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: California Governor Gavin Newsom shares the heartbreaking moment he watched his mother take her last breath as she died by assisted suicide in his new memoir

Gavin Newsom has opened up about the heart-wrenching moment he watched his mother take her last breath as she ended her life through assisted suicide.

The California governor shared the tragic tale in his forthcoming book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, set to be published on Feb. 24. In 2002, Newsom's mother, Tessa, informed her then 34-year-old son of her decision to end her life.

At that time, assisted suicide was illegal in California, and it remains so in all but 12 states and the District of Columbia, according to advocacy group Death with Dignity. "I hated her for it - to be there for the last breath - for years," Newsom confessed in an interview this week.

"I want to say it was a beautiful experience. It was horrible."

Newsom and his sister, Hilary, visited their mother to be present when her life came to an end. When the doctor arrived, Tessa confirmed her decision, Newsom recalled.

Overwhelmed by the situation, Hilary left the room, while Newsom remained. "Then I sat there with her for another 20 minutes after she was dead," he said, tears welling in his eyes.

"My head on her stomach, just crying, waiting for another breath."

Despite the painful memories, Newsom, who is seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, believes assisted suicide should be legal nationwide, arguing that individuals should have "the freedom to make that decision themselves."

California legalized the practice in 2015 with the "End of Life Option Act." Two years into his governorship, Newsom signed a bill that shortened the waiting period for a drug-induced suicide from 15 days to 48 hours and removed the need for a formal written declaration of intent at the end of the process.

Last year, he signed another bill to eliminate a sunset clause in the 2015 bill, effectively making assisted suicide legal indefinitely in California.

Newsom acknowledged that churches and religious groups, along with "the old Irish Catholic side of my family."

objected to the bill. He said they were "up in arms about that bill, and obviously, by extension, by what my mom did," but Newsom's personal experience with his mother only solidified his support for the bill.

"I watched the physical deterioration, the mental deterioration, just the cries of pain," Newsom recalled. "She would have just suffered."

During an interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast last year, Newsom expressed no regrets about supporting his mother's decision. "If you want to come after me, come after me, she needed to do it," he declared.

Newsom's political goals

Tessa, who held down three jobs to provide for her two children after her husband left, had some words of caution for Newsom regarding his political career.

"Get out before it's too late," she advised her son when he was contemplating a run for mayor of San Francisco in 2003, a position his father had always aspired to.

Now a father himself, Newsom admitted that his mother's warning still resonates with him. "I think about it any time when things are really going down - that she was right," he confessed.

While plenty of folks remain skeptical that Newsom is genuinely weighing up a presidential bid, the governor insists his mother's advice continues to factor into his thinking.

"I don't think people are taking me as literally as they should. We'll see what happens," he said, addressing speculation about a potential White House run. "Every day, I just try to get better and be a better husband, be a better father. I've got to take care of them, and I can't do what my father did."

If in the United States, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to 988 Lifeline

For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here.