S-3614               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6231

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senators Craswell, Owen, Johnson, Stratton, West, Smith, Anderson, Rasmussen and Metcalf

Read first time 1/15/88 and referred to Committee on Health Care & Corrections.

AN ACT Relating to prohibitions against the deliberate causing of death; adding a new section to chapter 18.51 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 70.41 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 18.51 RCW to read as follows:

          No nursing home or employee or agent of a nursing home may:

          (1) Withhold or withdraw food or water from any person, including a terminally ill person, to deliberately cause death, unless the person is physically unable to tolerate the administration of food or water; or

          (2) Administer  any lethal drug or treatment to deliberately cause death to any person, including a terminally ill person.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 70.41 RCW to read as follows:

          No hospital or employee or agent of a hospital may:

          (1) Withhold or withdraw food or water from any person, including a terminally ill person, to deliberately cause death, unless the person is physically unable to tolerate the administration of food or water; or

          (2) Administer  any lethal drug or treatment to deliberately cause death to any person, including a terminally ill person.