Rep. Daniel J. Burke

Filed: 4/12/2005

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2149

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2149 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Illinois Living Will Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 3 and 7 as follows:
 
6     (755 ILCS 35/3)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 703)
7     Sec. 3. Execution of a Document.
8     (a) An individual of sound mind and having reached the age
9 of majority or having obtained the status of an emancipated
10 person pursuant to the "Emancipation of Mature Minors Act", as
11 now or hereafter amended, may execute a document directing that
12 if he is suffering from a terminal condition, then death
13 delaying procedures shall not be utilized for the prolongation
14 of his life.
15     (b) The declaration must be signed by the declarant, or
16 another at the declarant's direction, and witnessed by 2
17 individuals 18 years of age or older.
18     (c) The declaration of a qualified patient diagnosed as
19 pregnant by the attending physician shall be given no force and
20 effect as long as in the opinion of the attending physician it
21 is possible that the fetus could develop to the point of live
22 birth with the continued application of death delaying
23 procedures.
24     (d) If the patient is able, it shall be the responsibility

 

 

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1 of the patient to provide for notification to his or her
2 attending physician of the existence of a declaration, to
3 provide the declaration to the physician and to ask the
4 attending physician whether he or she is willing to comply with
5 its provisions. An attending physician who is so notified shall
6 make the declaration, or copy of the declaration, a part of the
7 patient's medical records. If the physician is at any time
8 unwilling to comply with its provisions, the physician shall
9 promptly so advise the declarant. If the physician is unwilling
10 to comply with its provisions and the patient is able, it is
11 the patient's responsibility to initiate the transfer to
12 another physician of the patient's choosing. If the physician
13 is unwilling to comply with its provisions and the patient is
14 at any time not able to initiate the transfer, then the
15 attending physician shall without delay notify the person with
16 the highest priority, as set forth in this subsection, who is
17 available, able, and willing to make arrangements for the
18 transfer of the patient and the appropriate medical records to
19 another physician for the effectuation of the patient's
20 declaration. The order of priority is as follows: (1) any
21 person authorized in writing by the patient to make such
22 arrangements, (2) a surrogate decision maker, as provided in
23 Section 25 of the Health Care Surrogate Act, and (3) a guardian
24 of the person of the patient, without the necessity of
25 obtaining a court order to do so, and (3) any member of the
26 patient's family.
27     (e) The declaration may, but need not, be in the following
28 form, and in addition may include other specific directions.
29 Should any specific direction be determined to be invalid, such
30 invalidity shall not affect other directions of the declaration
31 which can be given effect without the invalid direction, and to
32 this end the directions in the declaration are severable.
33
DECLARATION
34     This declaration is made this ............. day of

 

 

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1 ............. (month, year). I, .................., being of
2 sound mind, willfully and voluntarily make known my desires
3 that my moment of death shall not be artificially postponed.
4     If at any time I should have an incurable and irreversible
5 injury, disease, or illness judged to be a terminal condition
6 by my attending physician who has personally examined me and
7 has determined that my death is imminent except for death
8 delaying procedures, I direct that such procedures which would
9 only prolong the dying process be withheld or withdrawn, and
10 that I be permitted to die naturally with only the
11 administration of medication, sustenance, or the performance
12 of any medical procedure deemed necessary by my attending
13 physician to provide me with comfort care.
14     In the absence of my ability to give directions regarding
15 the use of such death delaying procedures, it is my intention
16 that this declaration shall be honored by my family and
17 physician as the final expression of my legal right to refuse
18 medical or surgical treatment and accept the consequences from
19 such refusal.
20
Signed ....................
21
City, County and State of Residence .........................
22     The declarant is personally known to me and I believe him
23 or her to be of sound mind. I saw the declarant sign the
24 declaration in my presence (or the declarant acknowledged in my
25 presence that he or she had signed the declaration) and I
26 signed the declaration as a witness in the presence of the
27 declarant. I did not sign the declarant's signature above for
28 or at the direction of the declarant. At the date of this
29 instrument, I am not entitled to any portion of the estate of
30 the declarant according to the laws of intestate succession or,
31 to the best of my knowledge and belief, under any will of
32 declarant or other instrument taking effect at declarant's
33 death, or directly financially responsible for declarant's
34 medical care.

 

 

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1
Witness ..................
2
Witness ..................
3 (Source: P.A. 85-1209; revised 10-9-03.)
 
4     (755 ILCS 35/7)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 707)
5     Sec. 7. Immunity. The desires of a qualified patient shall
6 at all times supersede the effect of the declaration.
7     A physician or other health-care provider may presume, in
8 the absence of knowledge to the contrary, that a declaration
9 complies with this Act and is valid.
10     No physician, health care provider or employee thereof who
11 in good faith and pursuant to reasonable medical standards
12 causes or participates in the withholding or withdrawing of
13 death delaying procedures from a qualified patient pursuant to
14 a declaration which purports to have been made in accordance
15 with this Act shall as a result thereof, be subject to criminal
16 or civil liability, or be found to have committed an act of
17 unprofessional conduct.
18     Any person authorized under subsection (d) of Section 3
19 this Act, who acts in good faith, is not liable for any civil
20 or criminal damages as a result of any act or omission, except
21 for willful and wanton misconduct.
22 (Source: P.A. 85-860.)".