Effect of advance directives and powers of attorney for health care during pregnancy. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law allows an individual to execute a declaration to physicians that specifies whether that individual chooses to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining procedures or feeding tubes if that individual has a terminal condition or is in a vegetative state. The Wisconsin form to be prepared by the Department of Health Services specifies that the individual, if he or she has a terminal condition, does not want his or her dying to be artificially prolonged and does not want life-sustaining procedures to be used. Under current law the physician must follow the wishes in the declaration unless the physician believes that withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining procedures or feeding tubes would cause the patient pain or reduced comfort and that the pain or discomfort cannot be alleviated through pain relief measures. Under current law, the declaration to physicians has no effect during the pregnancy of a woman the physician knows to be pregnant. This bill eliminates the prohibition on giving effect to the declaration during a woman's pregnancy.

Under current law, a physician may issue a do-not-resuscitate order if all of the following apply: the patient has attained age 18 and has a terminal condition; the patient has a medical condition in which resuscitation would be unsuccessful in restoring cardiac or respiratory function or the patient would experience repeated cardiac or pulmonary failure within a short period before death; the patient or the patient's guardian or health care agent requests, consents to, and signs the order; the order is in writing; and the physician does not know the patient to be pregnant.

Who's behind it

8 lawmakers are its authors⁠. All 8 are Democrats.

5 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.