Expecting but on the brink of death? State law says you don’t get a say in what happens, but not for long. Senate Democrats passed a bill Monday that removes any reference to pregnancy in Washington’s advance healthcare directive form. Critics call it an attack on unborn children.
Established under the 1979 Natural Death Act, the Washington state Legislature created the form so people could opt out of life support. State lawmakers amended it in 1992, clarifying language around feeding tubes and end-of-life decisions for pregnant women.
“If I have been diagnosed as pregnant and that diagnosis is known to my physician,” according to the provision, “this directive shall have no force or effect during the course of my pregnancy.”
House Bill 1215 eliminates that provision. The majority party passed the proposal on the House floor last month, with the Senate following on Monday. Both chambers did so with a party-line vote after every elected Republican refused to support the bill, highlighting an ideological split.
“The argument for why this bill needs to pass is that people don’t understand that they can actually ..."
