HB 480

Abstract

Simon's Law; health care; life-sustaining treatmentfor minors; exceptions. Requires a physician to obtain the written permission from at least one parent or legal guardian of a minor,defined in the bill as an unemancipated individual who is youngerthan 18 years of age and not under juvenile court supervision or on active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States, before instituting a Do Not Resuscitate order or similar physician's order.The bill creates an exception for when a physician is unable tocontact a parent or legal guardian of such minor within 72 hoursof the initial contact attempt. The bill also prevents a physicianfrom interfering with such parent's or legal guardian's efforts toobtain other medical opinions, hindering or delaying the necessarymeasures to facilitate a transfer of such minor to another medicalfacility, or refusing to continue providing life-sustaining treatmentto such minor when such a transfer is imminent. Under the bill, suchparent or legal guardian maintains all rights to determine whetherlife-sustaining treatment and cardiopulmonary resuscitation are used on such minor unless a court of law or equity determines that thereis destruction of the circulatory system, respiratory system, andthe entire brain. A parent or legal guardian may also request disclosureof the physician's policies involving cardiopulmonary resuscitationand life-sustaining treatment.