Dear Friends,
I have some great news to share with all of you as we end the week!
Gov. Ralph Northam has signed HB226/SB 222, the bill VSHL worked so hard to amend and pass during this year’s General Assembly. This is the bill that deals with the circumstances under which a doctor might be able remove life-sustaining treatment, even against the patient’s wishes.
VSHL worked for two years to see that strong protections were included in the new statute.
The new provisions include anti-discriminatory language that gives more protection to patients who are particularly vulnerable. Treatment can’t be removed based on age, disability, or other similar factors. The new language also provides tighter protections on the administration of nutrition and hydration.
Importantly, the new language protects the patient or their advocate’s ability to go to a court, if need be.
VSHL believes that these protections are an essential step to fix weaknesses in the previous version of the statute. That version allowed the doctor to stop life-sustaining treatment for any reason and gave the patient or their advocate no remedy under the law.
While not a perfect law, it is critical that VSHL was able to work closely with members of the General Assembly in both chambers to achieve protections that will provide support for every Virginian in future.
Thank you again to everyone of you who contacted your legislators to ask for their support. That is the way we all work together to get the job done in Richmond.
We aren’t done yet because there is a special session of the General Assembly that starts on April 11th to resolve the state budget. There will be discussions about how or when Virginia taxpayer funds could be used to pay for abortions. With a one vote majority, pro-life legislators will have a hard time holding the line!
May I also wish you all a blessed Passover next week and a joyful Easter.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
