Washington state creates living will/advance directive registry
Rep. Jim Moeller and five of his fellowlegislators marked the passage of a bill setting up a statewideregistry of citizens’ advance directives by signing their own livingwills Friday in a low-key public ceremony.
Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure.
Moeller, D-Vancouver, was theprime sponsor of the bill, which passed the House on a 97-1 voteseveral weeks ago and cleared the Senate Friday, 47-1.
“We all have a terminaldiagnosis,” Moeller said as he sat at a conference table in the HouseDemocratic Caucus room and put his name to a document stating hiswishes for end-of-life care. “Somewhere along the line, it’s all goingto end. This is about preparing for the future. It’s about letting ourloved ones know what our wishes are and maintaining our dignity in ourlast days.”
Joining him at the table to signtheir own living wills were Reps. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle; MaralynChase, D-Shoreline; Brendan Williams, D-Olympia; Patricia Lantz, D-GigHarbor, and Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane.
Lantz, an attorney, said shehas written such wills for many of her clients. “This assures that theyaren’t just left in the bottom of the drawer,” she said. “Now there isa place to send them.”
Under the bill, Washingtonresidents will be able to send digital copies of their living wills tothe state Department of Health or submit hard copies to be scanned. Thedirectives will be posted on a secure Web site accessible tophysicians, nurses and emergency room personnel.
“I think that this is one ofthe most important things we have done in this Legislature,” Lantzsaid. “We don’t want our families to go through what happened withTerri Schiavo.”
Moeller has said he startedworking on the legislation last year after the Terri Schiavo case inFlorida set off a national debate over end-of-life planning.