By Delisi H.B. No. 1307 75R5792 ESH-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to physician-assisted suicide; providing a criminal 1-3 penalty. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Medical Practice Act (Article 1-6 4495b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by adding Section 1-7 4.012 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 4.012. PROHIBITED ACTS INVOLVING ASSISTED SUICIDE. (a) 1-9 A physician may not knowingly perform an affirmative or deliberate 1-10 act to end a human life. 1-11 (b) A physician may not knowingly use the physician's 1-12 knowledge of or access to medical instruments, medicines, drugs, or 1-13 other substances or devices to enable another person to: 1-14 (1) commit or attempt to commit suicide; or 1-15 (2) assist another person in committing or attempting 1-16 to commit suicide. 1-17 (c) A physician commits an offense if the physician violates 1-18 Subsection (b) of this section. An offense under this subsection 1-19 is punishable as if it were an offense under Section 22.08, Penal 1-20 Code. 1-21 (d) The board may take any appropriate disciplinary action 1-22 against a physician who violates Subsection (a) or (b) of this 1-23 section. The board may refuse to admit to examination or refuse to 1-24 issue a license or renewal license to a person who violates 2-1 Subsection (a) or (b) of this section. 2-2 (e) A physician does not violate this section if the 2-3 physician: 2-4 (1) complies with a directive to withhold or withdraw 2-5 life-sustaining procedures under Chapter 672, Health and Safety 2-6 Code; 2-7 (2) complies with an out-of-hospital 2-8 do-not-resuscitate order executed under Chapter 674, Health and 2-9 Safety Code; or 2-10 (3) performs an abortion permitted by Section 4.011 of 2-11 this Act. 2-12 (f) In this section, "physician" means a person licensed to 2-13 practice medicine in this state. 2-14 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 2-15 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-16 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-17 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-18 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-19 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.