Pregnancy Exclusion Laws are provisions in living will or advance directive laws that invalidate an individual’s advance directive if they are pregnant and incapacitated. Restricting the ability of individuals capable of becoming pregnant to direct their end-of-life care and can result in pregnant individuals receiving treatment they do not want or need. I strongly believe that everyone, regardless of their pregnancy status, should be able to direct the care they would or would not like at the end of their life.   
 

More than 30 states have advance directive laws containing a pregnancy exclusion, 9 of which completely invalidate a pregnant person’s advance directive throughout an entire pregnancy. Pennsylvania’s law is not completely restrictive but still places an undue burden on pregnant people and their families at such a vulnerable and painful time for them. I will soon introduce legislation that repeals Section 5429 of Title 20 and ensures that pregnant people can make their own decisions about the medical care they do or do not wish to undergo regardless of their health status. 
 

Please join me in respecting the medical decisions of all Pennsylvanian’s by co-sponsoring this legislation.