Those who want to extend the time some hospital patients may live before their life support is cut off are worried that their proposal is running into a wall at the Capitol.
Legislation by state Rep. Bryan Hughes would require life-sustaining treatment to continue for patients whose condition is deemed futile by doctors until a transfer to another medical facility can be arranged, if their family requests it.
Currently, hospitals can stop life support after 10 days in certain cases if the patient is terminally or irreversibly ill and cannot express treatment wishes.
Hughes: "No other state in the country has a law that Draconian. The balance of power is completely shifted against the patients and the families."
Hughes' bill is being pushed by Texas Right to Life and groups for the disabled, including the Coalition of Texans With Disabilities and Not Dead Yet of Texas, also back Hughes' proposal, as does the American Civil Liberties Union.
Full Article and Source:
Texas legislators fighting futile-care law fear roadblock
More information:
Patients' Rights Bill Stalled in Texas - Bill Backed by Disability Advocates, Right to Life and ACLU
Texas Lawmakers See Competing Bills to Scrap, Defend 10-Day Futile Care Law
Legislation by state Rep. Bryan Hughes would require life-sustaining treatment to continue for patients whose condition is deemed futile by doctors until a transfer to another medical facility can be arranged, if their family requests it.
Currently, hospitals can stop life support after 10 days in certain cases if the patient is terminally or irreversibly ill and cannot express treatment wishes.
Hughes: "No other state in the country has a law that Draconian. The balance of power is completely shifted against the patients and the families."
Hughes' bill is being pushed by Texas Right to Life and groups for the disabled, including the Coalition of Texans With Disabilities and Not Dead Yet of Texas, also back Hughes' proposal, as does the American Civil Liberties Union.
Full Article and Source:
Texas legislators fighting futile-care law fear roadblock
More information:
Patients' Rights Bill Stalled in Texas - Bill Backed by Disability Advocates, Right to Life and ACLU
Texas Lawmakers See Competing Bills to Scrap, Defend 10-Day Futile Care Law
4 comments:
This is good. Hospitals will stop life support on everybody but their own loved ones in favor of money. This bill is needed to keep that in check.
I applaud Rep. Byran Hughes's efforts here.
He's right, the power lies with the hospitals, not the patients as it is now.
You got that right anon. Without checks and balances with teeth, we are at risk for others who are strangers making knee jerk life and death decisions.
Rep. Bryan Hughes appears to be thinking of family first, how refreshing!
The State of TX seems behind the times in most areas of human rights.
They should be embarrassed that a law of this nature had to be created to protect the very vulnerable.
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