Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB1411

Sen. Laura Fine

Filed: 3/11/2025

10400SB1411sam001 LRB104 07373 JRC 23564 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1411

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1411 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Illinois Living Will Act is amended by changing Section 3 and by adding Section 3.5 as follows:

(755 ILCS 35/3) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 703)

Sec. 3. Execution of a Document.

(a) An individual of sound mind and having reached the age of majority or having obtained the status of an emancipated person pursuant to the Emancipation of Minors Act, as now or hereafter amended, may execute a document directing that if he is suffering from a terminal condition, then death delaying procedures shall not be utilized for the prolongation of his life.

(b) The declaration must be signed by the declarant, or another at the declarant's direction, and witnessed by 2 individuals 18 years of age or older.

(c) The declaration of a qualified patient diagnosed as pregnant by the attending physician shall be given no force and effect as long as in the opinion of the attending physician it is possible that the fetus could develop to the point of live birth with the continued application of death delaying procedures.

(d) If the patient is able, it shall be the responsibility of the patient to provide for notification to his or her attending physician of the existence of a declaration, to provide the declaration to the physician and to ask the attending physician whether he or she is willing to comply with its provisions. An attending physician who is so notified shall make the declaration, or copy of the declaration, a part of the patient's medical records. If the physician is at any time unwilling to comply with its provisions, the physician shall promptly so advise the declarant. If the physician is unwilling to comply with its provisions and the patient is able, it is the patient's responsibility to initiate the transfer to another physician of the patient's choosing. If the physician is unwilling to comply with its provisions and the patient is at any time not able to initiate the transfer, then the attending physician shall without delay notify the person with the highest priority, as set forth in this subsection, who is available, able, and willing to make arrangements for the transfer of the patient and the appropriate medical records to another physician for the effectuation of the patient's declaration. The order of priority is as follows: (1) the patient's surrogate decision-maker under the Health Care Surrogate Act, (2) (1) any person authorized by the patient to make such arrangements, (2) a guardian of the person of the patient, without the necessity of obtaining a court order to do so, and (3) any member of the patient's family.

(e) The declaration may, but need not, be in the following form, and in addition may include other specific directions. Should any specific direction be determined to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other directions of the declaration which can be given effect without the invalid direction, and to this end the directions in the declaration are severable.

DECLARATION

This declaration is made this ............. day of ............. (month, year). I, .................., being of sound mind, willfully and voluntarily make known my desires that my moment of death shall not be artificially postponed.

If at any time I should have an incurable and irreversible injury, disease, or illness judged to be a terminal condition by my attending physician who has personally examined me and has determined that my death is imminent except for death delaying procedures, I direct that such procedures which would only prolong the dying process be withheld or withdrawn, and that I be permitted to die naturally with only the administration of medication, sustenance, or the performance of any medical procedure deemed necessary by my attending physician to provide me with comfort care.

In the absence of my ability to give directions regarding the use of such death delaying procedures, it is my intention that this declaration shall be honored by my family and physician as the final expression of my legal right to refuse medical or surgical treatment and accept the consequences from such refusal.

Signed ....................

City, County and State of Residence .........................

The declarant is personally known to me and I believe him or her to be of sound mind. I saw the declarant sign the declaration in my presence (or the declarant acknowledged in my presence that he or she had signed the declaration) and I signed the declaration as a witness in the presence of the declarant. I did not sign the declarant's signature above for or at the direction of the declarant. At the date of this instrument, I am not entitled to any portion of the estate of the declarant according to the laws of intestate succession or, to the best of my knowledge and belief, under any will of declarant or other instrument taking effect at declarant's death, or directly financially responsible for declarant's medical care.

Witness ..................

Witness ..................

(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)

(755 ILCS 35/3.5 new)

Sec. 3.5. Applicability. Section 4-11 of the Illinois Power of Attorney Act governs the applicability of this Act if a patient has a health care agency.

Section 10. The Health Care Surrogate Act is amended by changing Sections 15 and 20 as follows:

(755 ILCS 40/15) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 851-15)

Sec. 15. Applicability. This Act applies to patients who lack decisional capacity or who have a qualifying condition. This Act does not apply to instances in which the patient has an operative and unrevoked living will under the Illinois Living Will Act, an operative and unrevoked declaration for mental health treatment under the Mental Health Treatment Preferences Declaration Act, or an authorized agent under a power of attorney for health care under the Illinois Power of Attorney Act and the patient's condition falls within the coverage of the living will, the declaration for mental health treatment, or the power of attorney for health care. In those instances, the living will, declaration for mental health treatment, or power of attorney for health care, as the case may be, shall be given effect according to its terms. This Act does apply in circumstances in which a patient has a qualifying condition but the patient's condition does not fall within the coverage of the living will, the declaration for mental health treatment, or the power of attorney for health care.

Each health care facility shall maintain any advance directives proffered by the patient or other authorized person, including a do not resuscitate order, a living will, a declaration for mental health treatment, a declaration of a potential surrogate or surrogates should the person become incapacitated or impaired, or a power of attorney for health care, in the patient's medical records. This Act does apply to patients without a qualifying condition. If a patient is an adult with decisional capacity, then the right to refuse medical treatment or life-sustaining treatment does not require the presence of a qualifying condition.

(Source: P.A. 96-448, eff. 1-1-10; 96-492, eff. 8-14-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

(755 ILCS 40/20) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 851-20)

Sec. 20. Private decision making process.

(a) Decisions whether to forgo life-sustaining or any other form of medical treatment involving an adult patient with decisional capacity may be made by that adult patient.

(b) Decisions whether to forgo life-sustaining treatment on behalf of a patient without decisional capacity are lawful, without resort to the courts or legal process, if the patient has a qualifying condition and if the decisions are made in accordance with one of the following paragraphs in this subsection and otherwise meet the requirements of this Act:

(1) Decisions whether to forgo life-sustaining treatment on behalf of a minor or an adult patient who lacks decisional capacity may be made by a surrogate decision maker or makers in consultation with the attending physician, in the order or priority provided in Section 25. A surrogate decision maker shall make decisions for the adult patient conforming as closely as possible to what the patient would have done or intended under the circumstances, taking into account evidence that includes, but is not limited to, any operative and unrevoked living will, the patient's personal, philosophical, religious and moral beliefs and ethical values relative to the purpose of life, sickness, medical procedures, suffering, and death. A surrogate's decision whether to forgo life-sustaining treatment shall be consistent with the patient's directions in any operative and unrevoked living will. Where possible, the surrogate shall determine how the patient would have weighed the burdens and benefits of initiating or continuing life-sustaining treatment against the burdens and benefits of that treatment. In the event an unrevoked advance directive, such as a living will, a declaration for mental health treatment, or a power of attorney for health care, is no longer valid due to a technical deficiency or is not applicable to the patient's condition, that document may be used as evidence of a patient's wishes. The absence of a living will, declaration for mental health treatment, or power of attorney for health care shall not give rise to any presumption as to the patient's preferences regarding the initiation or continuation of life-sustaining procedures. If the adult patient's wishes are unknown and remain unknown after reasonable efforts to discern them or if the patient is a minor, the decision shall be made on the basis of the patient's best interests as determined by the surrogate decision maker. In determining the patient's best interests, the surrogate shall weigh the burdens on and benefits to the patient of initiating or continuing life-sustaining treatment against the burdens and benefits of that treatment and shall take into account any other information, including the views of family and friends, that the surrogate decision maker believes the patient would have considered if able to act for herself or himself.

(2) Decisions whether to forgo life-sustaining treatment on behalf of a minor or an adult patient who lacks decisional capacity, but without any surrogate decision maker or guardian being available determined after reasonable inquiry by the health care provider, may be made by a court appointed guardian. A court appointed guardian shall be treated as a surrogate for the purposes of this Act.

(b-5) Decisions concerning medical treatment on behalf of a patient without decisional capacity are lawful, without resort to the courts or legal process, if the patient does not have a qualifying condition and if decisions are made in accordance with one of the following paragraphs in this subsection and otherwise meet the requirements of this Act:

(1) Decisions concerning medical treatment on behalf of a minor or adult patient who lacks decisional capacity may be made by a surrogate decision maker or makers in consultation with the attending physician, in the order of priority provided in Section 25 with the exception that decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment may be made only when a patient has a qualifying condition. A surrogate decision maker shall make decisions for the patient conforming as closely as possible to what the patient would have done or intended under the circumstances, taking into account evidence that includes, but is not limited to, any operative and unrevoked living will, the patient's personal, philosophical, religious, and moral beliefs and ethical values relative to the purpose of life, sickness, medical procedures, suffering, and death. In the event an unrevoked advance directive, such as a living will, a declaration for mental health treatment, or a power of attorney for health care, is no longer valid due to a technical deficiency or is not applicable to the patient's condition, that document may be used as evidence of a patient's wishes. The absence of a living will, declaration for mental health treatment, or power of attorney for health care shall not give rise to any presumption as to the patient's preferences regarding any process. If the adult patient's wishes are unknown and remain unknown after reasonable efforts to discern them or if the patient is a minor, the decision shall be made on the basis of the patient's best interests as determined by the surrogate decision maker. In determining the patient's best interests, the surrogate shall weigh the burdens on and benefits to the patient of the treatment against the burdens and benefits of that treatment and shall take into account any other information, including the views of family and friends, that the surrogate decision maker believes the patient would have considered if able to act for herself or himself.

(2) Decisions concerning medical treatment on behalf of a minor or adult patient who lacks decisional capacity, but without any surrogate decision maker or guardian being available as determined after reasonable inquiry by the health care provider, may be made by a court appointed guardian. A court appointed guardian shall be treated as a surrogate for the purposes of this Act.

(c) For the purposes of this Act, a patient or surrogate decision maker is presumed to have decisional capacity in the absence of actual notice to the contrary without regard to advanced age. With respect to a patient, a diagnosis of mental illness or an intellectual disability, of itself, is not a bar to a determination of decisional capacity. A determination that an adult patient lacks decisional capacity shall be made by the attending physician to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. The determination shall be in writing in the patient's medical record and shall set forth the attending physician's opinion regarding the cause, nature, and duration of the patient's lack of decisional capacity. Before implementation of a decision by a surrogate decision maker to forgo life-sustaining treatment, at least one other qualified health care practitioner must concur in the determination that an adult patient lacks decisional capacity. The concurring determination shall be made in writing in the patient's medical record after personal examination of the patient. The attending physician shall inform the patient that it has been determined that the patient lacks decisional capacity and that a surrogate decision maker will be making life-sustaining treatment decisions on behalf of the patient. Moreover, the patient shall be informed of the identity of the surrogate decision maker and any decisions made by that surrogate. If the person identified as the surrogate decision maker is not a court appointed guardian and the patient objects to the statutory surrogate decision maker or any decision made by that surrogate decision maker, then the provisions of this Act shall not apply.

(d) A surrogate decision maker acting on behalf of the patient shall express decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment to the attending physician and one adult witness who is at least 18 years of age. This decision and the substance of any known discussion before making the decision shall be documented by the attending physician in the patient's medical record and signed by the witness.

(e) The existence of a qualifying condition shall be documented in writing in the patient's medical record by the attending physician and shall include its cause and nature, if known. The written concurrence of another qualified health care practitioner is also required.

(f) Once the provisions of this Act are complied with, the attending physician shall thereafter promptly implement the decision to forgo life-sustaining treatment on behalf of the patient unless he or she believes that the surrogate decision maker is not acting in accordance with his or her responsibilities under this Act, or is unable to do so for reasons of conscience or other personal views or beliefs.

(g) In the event of a patient's death as determined by a physician, all life-sustaining treatment and other medical care is to be terminated, unless the patient is an organ donor, in which case appropriate organ donation treatment may be applied or continued temporarily.

(h) A surrogate decision maker may execute a POLST portable medical orders form to forgo life-sustaining treatment consistent with this Section.

(Source: P.A. 102-140, eff. 1-1-22.)".