Natural Death Act
Alabama · Health, Mental Health, and Environmental Control · §§ 22-8A-1 to 22-8A-9 · 18 sections
Overview
The Natural Death Act governs advance health care planning and end-of-life medical decision-making, allowing a competent adult to execute a living will, health care proxy, or combined advance directive stating which treatments they want withheld or provided if they can no longer decide for themselves. It sets out how such directives are executed, filed, and revoked, recognizes directives validly made in other states, authorizes do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders and orders for pediatric palliative and end-of-life care, and establishes a hierarchy of surrogates who may decide for a patient with no directive in place. The act also shields physicians, facilities, and proxies who follow a directive in good faith from civil, criminal, and professional liability, addresses providers who decline to comply, bars insurers from treating the withholding of treatment as suicide or conditioning coverage on execution of a directive, and states that it does not authorize mercy killing.
Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.
In the courts
Sections of this act have been cited in 4 court decisions.
Most-cited authority: 53 Misc. 3d 829 - In re Doe
Sections covered
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-1Short Title.1 cite
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-10Provisions of Chapter Not an Approval of Mercy Killing, Etc.1 cite
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-11Surrogate; Requirements; Considerations; Persons Who May Serve as Surrogate; Validity of Decisions; Liability; Form; Declaratory and Injunctive Relief; Violations.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-12Validity of Advance Health Care Directive Executed in Another State.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-13Effect of Prior Declarations.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-14Filing and Recording of Living Will; Fee; Inspection; Duty of Declarant to Provide Copy to Health Care Providers.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-15Order for Pediatric Palliative and End of Life Care for Qualified Minor; Rulemaking Authority.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-16Temporary Task Force for Establishment of Order for PPEL Care Form.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-17Application of Order for PPEL Care Form; Liability.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-2Legislative Intent.1 cite
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-3Definitions.1 cite
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-4Advance Directive for Health Care; Living Will and Health Care Proxy.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-4.1Validity of DNAR Orders; Adoption of Rules.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-5Revocation of Advance Directive for Health Care.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-6Proxy to Comply with Instructions, Intent of Patient.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-7Competency of Declarant; Liability of Participating Physician, Facility, Etc.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-8Refusal of Health Care Provider to Comply; Penalties.
- Ala. Code § 22-8A-9Withholding or Withdrawal of Treatment, Etc., Not Suicide; Execution of Advance Directive Not to Affect Sale, Etc., of Life or Health Insurance nor Be Condition for Receipt of Treatment, Etc.; Provisions of Chapter Cumulative.
Enacted in other states
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