Family Health Care Decisions Act

rdf:langString Family Health Care Decisions Act

rdf:langString The Family Health Care Decisions Act is a statute adopted in New York state in 2010 that had been pending before the legislature since 1994. The statute was approved by the New York State Senate in July, 2009. The legislation was introduced by state senator Thomas Duane of Manhattan. It was signed into law by Gov. David Paterson on March 16, 2010. The law adds new Articles 29-CC and 29-CCC to the Public Health Law and amends other existing sections of the laws of the State. It allows the relatives of incapacitated patients to make medical decisions for their family members in the absence of a living will or health care proxy. Currently, all other states except for Missouri permit such surrogacy. Advocates have called the bill the "most important piece of medical legislation since lawmakers legalized health care proxies in 1990."