Post by Logan on May 4, 2016 23:03:24 GMT -6
Despite objections, Ohio Senate passes bill allowing more end-of-life care instruction
Over objections of some abortion opponents, the Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would allow doctors to issue medical orders directing the care a terminally ill patient should receive if death is near.
Supporters of Senate Bill 165, including many medical professionals, say the legislation will encourage doctors and their patients to discuss end-of-life care, better clarify their wishes and ensure they are followed. The legislation, passed by a vote of 30-3, heads to the House.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, would create the Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), giving instruction on whether a patient wants to be hospitalized, resuscitated or given comfort care. The medical orders would be voluntary, must be signed by a doctor and reviewed annually, and can be revoked anytime.
The vote came hours after a Senate committee unanimously recommended passage of the bill, rejecting concerns that advance-care planning could lead to euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Read more: www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/05/04/terminal-illness-bill.html
Over objections of some abortion opponents, the Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would allow doctors to issue medical orders directing the care a terminally ill patient should receive if death is near.
Supporters of Senate Bill 165, including many medical professionals, say the legislation will encourage doctors and their patients to discuss end-of-life care, better clarify their wishes and ensure they are followed. The legislation, passed by a vote of 30-3, heads to the House.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, would create the Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), giving instruction on whether a patient wants to be hospitalized, resuscitated or given comfort care. The medical orders would be voluntary, must be signed by a doctor and reviewed annually, and can be revoked anytime.
The vote came hours after a Senate committee unanimously recommended passage of the bill, rejecting concerns that advance-care planning could lead to euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Read more: www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/05/04/terminal-illness-bill.html