Help support Simon’s Law: parental rights vs medical discrimination
Can a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order be placed in your child’s medical file without your knowledge? YES!
Can your child be denied life-sustaining care based on a quality of life assessment by a hospital ethics board? YES!
Are both situations outrageous and scary? YES!
The remedy? Simon’s Law, a pro-life bill filed and being promoted in 2 states: Kansas and Missouri.
Simon was a 3-month-old precious boy who was starved, given antagonistic medication and not resuscitated due to the secret placement of a DNR order on his medical chart.
And why? Because Simon was labeled as suffering under a “syndrome”of an extra gene, Trisomy 18… and thus discriminated against as not worth life-sustaining care.
Simon’s family watched as he expired before their eyes and only later discovered in horror that a DNR had been placed on his chart which they in no way wanted or had even discussed.
Simon’s Law would do 2 simple things:
- prevent any medical facility or practitioner from secretly placing a DNR order for children under 18 years of age without written consent of at least one parent or guardian.
- require that a facility disclose, upon request, any existing written policy on denial of life-sustaining treatment.
Under the second provision, a family would be able to better determine whether their child is at any risk of any refusal to treat (i.e.”futility” policies) at the medical facility. (read more about such policies here and here)
Imagine your eight-year-old sustains critical injuries from a skateboard collision, or your sixteen-year-old is involved in a car accident with life-threatening injuries. Wouldn’t you want to be fully engaged in the decision making, rather than trusting unknown medical professionals without any mandate to seek your consent for non-treatment?
ALERT: Kansans for Life is seeking additional support for Simon’s Law this week from interested citizens and health care personnel for an upcoming Senate hearing. Email any testimony to kfltopeka@gmail.com and include full contact information.