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Utah Directive to Physicians Law

Living Wills - General - Utah

Related to Living Wills

In the Utah "Personal Choice and Living Will Act,"

a "declarant" is a person 18 years of age or older who has signed or directed the signing of any directive, or for whom a directive has been signed.

a "directive" is a written document voluntarily executed by or on behalf of a person.

a directive "in writing" is any printed or hand-written directive.

a "persistent vegetative state" is a state of severe mental impairment, in which only involuntary bodily functions are present and the person totally lacks higher cortical and cognitive function but maintains vegetative brain stem processes for which there exists no reasonable expectation of regaining significant cognitive function as diagnosed by two physicians, one of whom shall be the attending physician, in accordance with reasonable medical judgment.

a "terminal condition" is a condition caused by injury, disease, or illness, which regardless of the application of life sustaining procedures, would within reasonable medical judgment produce death, and where the application of life sustaining procedures serve only to postpone the moment of death of the person.

The Directive (§ 75-2-1104)

An individual 18 years of age or older may execute a directive. The directive is binding upon attending physicians and all other providers of medical services.The directive shall be: in writing; signed by the declarant or by another person in the declarant's presence and by the declarant's expressed direction; dated; and signed in the presence of two or more witnesses 18 years of age or older. Neither of the witnesses may be: the person who signed the directive on behalf of the declarant; related to the declarant by blood or marriage; entitled to any portion of the estate of the declarant according to the laws of intestate succession of this state or under any will or codicil of the declarant; directly financially responsible for the declarant's medical care; or any agent of any health care facility in which the declarant is a patient at the time the directive is executed. The directive must be in substantially the statutory form.

Revocation (§ 75-2-1111)

A directive may be revoked at any time by the declarant or by the person or persons who signed a directive on behalf of a declarant by: being obliterated, burned, torn, or otherwise destroyed or defaced in any manner indicating an intention to effect revocation; a written revocation of the directive signed and dated by the declarant or by a person signing on behalf of the declarant or acting at the direction of the declarant; oral expression of an intent to revoke the directive in the presence of a witness 18 years of age or older who signs and dates a written instrument confirming that the expression of intent was made. An oral revocation not otherwise known to the attending physician becomes binding only upon receipt by the attending physician and other providers of medical service of a written revocation. There is no criminal or civil liability on the part of any person for failing to act upon a revocation made under this part unless that person has actual knowledge of the revocation.

DIRECTIVE TO PHYSICIANS AFTER INJURY OR ILLNESS

The Directive (§ 75-2-1105)

A person 18 years of age or older may, after incurring an injury, disease, or illness, direct his care by means of a directive. The directive is binding upon attending physicians and other providers of medical services. When a declarant has executed a directive under Section 75-2-1104 and is in a terminal condition or a persistent vegetative state, that directive takes precedence over a non-conflicting directive executed under this section. A directive executed by an attorney-in-fact appointed under Section 75-2-1106 takes precedence over all earlier signed directives. A directive made under this section shall be: in writing; signed by the declarant or by another person in the declarant's presence and by the declarant's expressed direction, or if the declarant does not have the ability to give current directions concerning his care and treatment, by the following persons, as proxy, in the following order of priority if no person in a prior class is available, willing, and competent to act: an attorney-in-fact appointed under Section 75-2-1106; any previously appointed legal guardian of the declarant; the person's spouse if not legally separated; the parents or surviving parent; the person's child 18 years of age or older, or if the person has more than one child, by a majority of the children 18 years of age or older who are reasonably available for consultation upon good faith efforts to secure participation of all those children; by the declarant's nearest reasonably available living relative 18 years of age or older if the declarant has no parent or child living; by a legal guardian; dated; signed, completed, and certified by the declarant's attending physician; and signed in the presence of two or more witnesses 18 years of age or older. Neither of the witnesses may be: the person who signed the directive on behalf of the declarant; related to the declarant by blood or marriage; entitled to any portion of the declarant's estate according to the laws of intestate succession of this state or under any will or codicil of the declarant; directly financially responsible for declarant's medical care; or an agent of any health care facility in which the declarant is a patient or resident at the time of executing the directive. A directive executed under this section must be in substantially the statutory form.

Revocation (§ 75-2-1111)

A directive may be revoked at any time by the declarant or by the person or persons who signed a directive on behalf of a declarant by: being obliterated, burned, torn, or otherwise destroyed or defaced in any manner indicating an intention to effect revocation; a written revocation of the directive signed and dated by the declarant or by a person signing on behalf of the declarant or acting at the direction of the declarant; oral expression of an intent to revoke the directive in the presence of a witness 18 years of age or older who signs and dates a written instrument confirming that the expression of intent was made. An oral revocation not otherwise known to the attending physician becomes binding only upon receipt by the attending physician and other providers of medical service of a written revocation. There is no criminal or civil liability on the part of any person for failing to act upon a revocation made under this part unless that person has actual knowledge of the revocation.

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