LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A invoice to permit a affected person advocate to withhold life-sustaining therapy for pregnant people has efficiently handed the Michigan Senate.
Underneath present state legislation, a person is entitled to designate a affected person advocate to make medical choices on their behalf in the event that they grow to be unable to make these choices themselves. That is accomplished by drafting and signing a affected person advocate designation in entrance of two witnesses, which might embrace an announcement on what kind of life-sustaining therapy a person needs or doesn’t need carried out on them, and the advocate should comply with these directions.
Proper now, a affected person advocate designation can’t be used to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining therapy from a pregnant particular person that will outcome of their demise. This contains issues reminiscent of synthetic air flow or dialysis. Nonetheless, Senate Invoice 33 would change that.
The invoice would add a clause specifying that the designation doc can embrace an announcement on which type of life-sustaining therapy the affected person would need or not need if they’re pregnant on the time the doc goes into impact.
A affected person advocate would then be allowed to direct the choice of whether or not or to not present life-sustaining medical therapy to a pregnant affected person, permitting it to be withheld if that’s consistent with the affected person’s needs.
Senate Invoice 33 handed the Senate on Thursday. It moved to the Home for consideration that very same day, the place it was learn and referred to the Committee on Well being Coverage.
2025-SEBS-0033Download
