By Kathy Ostrowski, Legislative Director, Kansans for Life
SIMON’s LAW moving in Kansas! Conferees Jack & Brenda Spurlock and 3 of their children (left) with Scott & Sheryl Crosier with son Sean (middle) pose with Kansans for Life legislative director, Kathy Ostrowski, key bill sponsor, Sen. Jacob LaTurner (R-Pittsburg). The bill passed the House Fed-State committee on a voice vote this morning. The Senate has already passed Simon’s Law.
The Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee this morning passed “Simon’s Law” by voice vote. It is anticipated that the bill will be debated by the full House of Representatives soon.
As NRL News Today has explained in prior posts, “Simon’s Law” is named for a medically fragile baby born with Trisomy 18 and apnea (breathing difficulty), who died when resuscitation was denied. His devastated parents, Sheryl and Scott Crosier, only learned later that Simon’s hospital chart contained a DNR [Do Not Resuscitate] that was never discussed, much less permitted by them. They have mounted a grassroots crusade to alert parents and enact this law to protect parents’ rights.
Last Tuesday the Crosiers made a heartfelt plea to the committee to protect children with medically fragile conditions from medical bias by supporting parental rights. They urged the committee to adopt the current version of Simon’s Law, Sub for SB 85, which would ensure Do Not Resuscitate Orders (DNRs) are not placed into a child’s medical file without the parents’ knowledge. The measure requires:
1. Parents must receive written notification AND an oral explanation of the intended DNR placement from the physician/hospital;
2. The delivery of that information (by whom, what time, etc.) must be committed to the child’s medical chart;
3. The parents may allow the advised order or they can refuse it, either orally or in writing.
Kansans for Life (KFL) was happy to document portions of Tuesday’s hearing and much more here.
Please visit KFL’s YouTube Channel for more content and testimony from legislators in support of Simon’s Law.