I plan to introduce legislation, known as Simon’s Law, requiring a health care professional or health care facility to notify parents prior to placing a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order for any patient under the age of 18, without written or oral consent of at least one parent or guardian.
 
Simon Crosier was born on September 7, 2010, in St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after his birth, he was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. Simon passed away three months later of an apnea attack. While his parents (Sheryl and Scott Crosier) watched their son take his last breaths, they waited for someone at the hospital to provide emergency relief, but no one came.
 
After Simon’s death, Sheryl and Scott wanted to know why no one in the medical field was willing to save their son. Instead, they stood there and watched as he took his last breath. Later, Sheryl and Scott found a DNR had been placed in Simon’s medical file. Upon further review of his chart, they discovered he had been given “comfort feeds” and when he fussed, the medical team gave him sugar water. Had Simon not stopped breathing, he could have starved to death. All of this took place without either parent’s knowledge.
 
My legislation is modeled off of Missouri’s House Bill 138, requiring a health care professional or health care facility to make a reasonable attempt to obtain the consent of a parent/guardian before placing a DNR in his/her medical chart. Missouri’s HB 138 passed with a unanimous vote of 146-0 and was signed into law on July 11, 2019. In addition to Missouri, three other states have enacted “Simon’s Law.”
 
It is my hope that we can further protect the rights of parents in our Commonwealth. I encourage you to join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation.
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 739 (Feb 24, 2025): P.L.130, No.48
Printer's No. 0739: P.L.130, No.48