What are the laws regarding end-of-life decisions?

In Washington, end-of-life decisions, also referred to as advance directives, are regulated by the Washington State Legislature and are referred to as the Washington Natural Death Act. This act created a framework that allows adults to make decisions about their end-of-life medical care and allows those decisions to be respected even when the individual is not able to communicate their wishes due to incapacity. The main law is the Natural Death Act, which establishes a process for individuals to make known their wishes and have them followed. This allows people to make decisions about life-sustaining interventions, including when to start or stop the use of life-sustaining treatments, nutrition or hydration. This can be done through the signing of a living will, or by assigning a health care representative who will make decisions on their behalf. The Natural Death Act also allows for the signing of a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form, which allows a patient to refuse CPR in the event of a medical emergency. This form must be signed by a doctor and is only valid if the patient is in a terminal condition and CPR is unlikely to be successful. Finally, the Natural Death Act also states that individuals have the right to receive pain and symptom management, even if it hastens death. This includes the right to have medications that provide comfort and to refuse treatments that are overly burdensome.

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What are the laws regarding end-of-life decisions?

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