HB 1215
SignedHouse
Natural death act/pregnancy
Removing references to pregnancy from the model directive form under the natural death act.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill removes the rule that invalidated advance health care directives during pregnancy, allowing individuals to have their end-of-life wishes honored regardless of pregnancy status. It updates the official state model directive form to reflect this change and ensures the directive remains legally valid in all circumstances, including pregnancy.
- Removes a provision that automatically voided a health care directive during pregnancy if the physician knew of the pregnancy.
- Updates the model health care directive form to no longer include language about pregnancy affecting the directive’s validity.
- Maintains all other requirements for executing a valid directive, including signing in front of a notary or two qualified witnesses.
- Preserves the ability for individuals to specify whether they want or do not want artificially provided nutrition and hydration in end-of-life scenarios.
Who is affected
- Adult Washington residents — Adults in Washington who want to create a legally valid advance directive (also called a health care directive or living will) about end-of-life care, especially regarding refusal of life-sustaining treatment.
- Health care providers — Physicians and health care providers who must follow or review advance directives from patients, especially when determining whether to honor directives in cases involving pregnancy.
- Pregnant individuals — Patients who are pregnant and may have concerns about whether their advance directive would be honored during pregnancy.
- Family members and health care proxies — Family members and designated health care proxies who may be responsible for carrying out or advocating for a patient’s end-of-life wishes.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for concerns
Potential Concerns (5)
Removal of the pregnancy exception strengthens individual autonomy and bodily integrity by ensuring that a person’s advance directive—especially regarding refusal of life-sustaining treatment—cannot be overridden solely due to pregnancy status, aligning with constitutional protections for medical decision-making.
Rights & LibertiesRef: Sec. 1, RCW 70.122.030(1)(d) (stricken)The change eliminates a discriminatory legal barrier that previously rendered advance directives unenforceable during pregnancy, reducing potential conflicts between patient wishes and provider obligations, and supporting consistent, patient-centered end-of-life care.
HealthcareRef: Sec. 1, RCW 70.122.030(1)(d) (stricken)Pregnant individuals—especially those with serious terminal or permanent unconscious conditions—regain full legal authority to refuse life-sustaining treatment, including artificial nutrition and hydration, without fear that their directive will be nullified solely because of pregnancy.
HealthcarePeopleRef: Sec. 1, RCW 70.122.030(1)(d) (stricken)Health care providers gain clearer legal guidance and reduced liability risk when honoring directives from pregnant patients, as the prior ambiguity could have led to ethical dilemmas or legal exposure when following patient wishes.
HealthcareLean peopleRef: Sec. 1, RCW 70.122.030(1)(d) (stricken)The bill reinforces equal protection under the law by removing a provision that uniquely restricted the rights of pregnant individuals to control their own medical care, aligning Washington law with broader constitutional principles of reproductive autonomy and bodily integrity.
Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 1, RCW 70.122.030(1)(d) (stricken)
Who Is Most Affected
Pregnant individuals gain full legal authority to refuse life-sustaining treatment without fear of automatic invalidation of their directive. This directly supports bodily autonomy and end-of-life self-determination, especially for those with serious or terminal conditions.
Health care providers benefit from reduced legal ambiguity and liability exposure when honoring directives from pregnant patients. The change supports consistent application of advance directives across all patient populations.
Family members and health care proxies gain confidence that the patient’s clearly expressed wishes will be honored regardless of pregnancy status, reducing potential conflict or moral distress in end-of-life decision-making.
All adult Washington residents gain greater assurance that their advance directives will be honored in all circumstances, improving trust in the health care system and reinforcing personal autonomy in medical decision-making.