Death with Dignity Act; penalties.
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SB 668 — Death with Dignity Act; penalties.
Last action — Failed to report (defeated) in Education and Health (7-Y 7-N 1-A)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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2In Committee
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3Passed Senate
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4Passed House of Delegates
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill died with 2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.
Summary
Death with Dignity Act; penalties. Allows an adult who has been determined by an attending physician and consulting physician to be suffering from a terminal condition to request medication for the purpose of ending his life in a humane and dignified manner. The bill requires that a patient's request for medication to end his life be given orally on two occasions, that such request be in writing, that such request be signed by the patient and two witnesses, and that the patient be given an express opportunity to rescind his request. The bill requires that before a patient is prescribed medication to end his life, the attending physician must (i) confirm that the patient is making an informed decision, (ii) refer the patient to a capacity reviewer if the physician is uncertain as to whether the patient is making an informed decision, (iii) refer the patient to a consulting physician for confirmation or rejection of the attending physician's diagnosis, and (iv) inform the patient that he may rescind the request at any time. The bill provides that neither a patient's request for medication to end his life in a humane and dignified manner nor his act of ingesting such medication shall have any effect upon a life, health, or accident insurance policy or an annuity contract. The bill makes it a Class 2 felony (a) to willfully and deliberately alter, forge, conceal, or destroy a patient's request, or rescission of request, for medication to end his life with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death or (b) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to request medication for the purpose of ending his life or to destroy the patient's rescission of such request with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death. Finally, the bill grants immunity from civil or criminal liability and professional disciplinary action to any person who complies with the provisions of the bill and allows health care providers to refuse to participate in the provision of medication to a patient for the purpose of ending the patient's life.
Bill Text
- Presented and ordered printed 22103583D View text Current pdf January 20, 2022
Action History
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Failed to report (defeated) in Education and Health (7-Y 7-N 1-A)
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Assigned Education sub: Health Professions
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Rereferred to Education and Health
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Rereferred from Judiciary (13-Y 0-N)
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Impact statement from VCSC (SB668)
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Referred to Committee on the Judiciary
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Presented and ordered printed 22103583D
Sponsors
- Ghazala F. Hashmi · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 147 not signed on · 7 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (147)
147 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 147 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 47% | 47% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Barker, George L. | — | Yea |
| Cosgrove, John A., Jr. | — | Nay |
| David R. Suetterlein | — | Nay |
| Dunnavant, Siobhan S. | — | Nay |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Nay |
| Hashmi, Ghazala F. | — | Yea |
| Howell, Janet D. | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Lewis, Lynwood W., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Nay |
| Newman, Stephen D. | — | Nay |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Not Voting |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Todd E. Pillion | — | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (13)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Morrissey, Joseph D. | — | Yea |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Yea |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Obenshain | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Richard H. Stuart | — | Yea |
| Ryan T. McDougle | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Scott A. Surovell | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 668 do?
- Death with Dignity Act; penalties. Allows an adult who has been determined by an attending physician and consulting physician to be suffering from a terminal condition to request medication for the purpose of ending his life in a humane and dignified manner. The bill requires that a patient's request for medication to end his life be given orally on two occasions, that such request be in writing, that such request be signed by the patient and two witnesses, and that the patient be given an express opportunity to rescind his request. The bill requires that before a patient is prescribed medication to end his life, the attending physician must (i) confirm that the patient is making an informed decision, (ii) refer the patient to a capacity reviewer if the physician is uncertain as to whether the patient is making an informed decision, (iii) refer the patient to a consulting physician for confirmation or rejection of the attending physician's diagnosis, and (iv) inform the patient that he may rescind the request at any time. The bill provides that neither a patient's request for medication to end his life in a humane and dignified manner nor his act of ingesting such medication shall have any effect upon a life, health, or accident insurance policy or an annuity contract. The bill makes it a Class 2 felony (a) to willfully and deliberately alter, forge, conceal, or destroy a patient's request, or rescission of request, for medication to end his life with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death or (b) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to request medication for the purpose of ending his life or to destroy the patient's rescission of such request with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death. Finally, the bill grants immunity from civil or criminal liability and professional disciplinary action to any person who complies with the provisions of the bill and allows health care providers to refuse to participate in the provision of medication to a patient for the purpose of ending the patient's life.
- Who sponsors SB 668?
- SB 668 is sponsored by Ghazala F. Hashmi.
- What is the current status of SB 668?
- This bill died with 2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
- Where can I track SB 668?
- Track SB 668 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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