Proposal to strengthen living wills for end-of-life care

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would recognize the right of every adult in Spain to state in advance, in writing, what care and treatment they want at the end of their life, and also to request the assistance in dying regulated by the euthanasia law.
2. Living wills could be made in a public document or under the applicable rules, and in the second case they would need to be registered in the National Registry to be valid nationwide. They would have to appear in a visible place in the patient's medical record.
3. Patients could appoint a representative to make sure their instructions are followed and, in situations not covered, to be guided by the values stated in the document. If the person keeps the capacity to decide at the end of life, their wishes at that moment prevail.
4. The bill would amend Article 11 of Law 41/2002 to update the rules on living wills and change their current limits, removing the reference to good clinical practice that could reduce their effectiveness.

Who it affects

• Adults who want to put in writing their wishes about care and treatment at the end of life.: They could make a living will in a public document or under the applicable rules, and change or revoke it at any time.
• Patients in the end-of-life process.: If they keep the capacity to decide, their wishes at that moment prevail over any prior instructions.
• Representatives appointed in living wills.: They must follow their assigned duties, seek the person's best interest, and ensure the instructions are carried out.
• Health professionals and health centers, public and private.: They must keep living wills visible in the medical record and cannot ignore their existence.

Words worth knowing

Instrucciones previas (living will)

A document in which a person states in advance what care and treatment they want if they reach a point when they cannot express it themselves.

Lex artis

A Latin phrase referring to good clinical practice, that is, how health professionals normally act.

Historia clínica (medical record)

The document holding all of a patient's health information.

Prestación de ayuda para morir (assistance in dying)

The assistance regulated by the Spanish euthanasia law for people who request it under certain conditions.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries