Additional Bill Links PDF (with line numbers)
HOUSE BILL NO. 477
INTRODUCED BY G. BENNETT
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REVISING AIDING OR SOLICITING SUICIDE LAWS; PROVIDING THAT PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE IS AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY AND IS PROHIBITED; REVISING THE OFFENSE OF AIDING OR SOLICITING SUICIDE; PROVIDING A DEFINITION; AMENDING SECTION 45-5-105, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
NEW SECTION. Section 1. Physician-assisted suicide -- against public policy. (1) Physician-assisted suicide is against public policy for the purpose of 45-2-211 and is prohibited as provided in 45-5-105.
(2) (a) For purposes of this section, "physician-assisted suicide" means any act by a physician or a person acting at the direction of a physician of purposely aiding or soliciting another person to end that person's life, including prescribing a drug, compound, or substance, providing a medical procedure, or directly or indirectly participating in an act with the purpose of aiding or soliciting that person's suicide.
(b) The term "physician-assisted suicide" does not include end-of-life palliative care in which a dying person receives medication to alleviate pain that may incidentally hasten the dying person's death or any act to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment authorized pursuant to Title 50, chapters 9 and 10.
Section 2. Section 45-5-105, MCA, is amended to read:
"45-5-105. Aiding or soliciting suicide. (1) A person who purposely aids or solicits another to commit suicide, but such suicide does not occur, including physician-assisted suicide as defined in [section 1], commits the offense of aiding or soliciting suicide.
(2) A person convicted of the offense of aiding or soliciting a suicide shall be imprisoned in the state prison for any term not to exceed 10 years or be fined an amount not to exceed $50,000, or both."
NEW SECTION. Section 3. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 45, chapter 5, part 1, and the provisions of Title 45, chapter 5, part 1, apply to [section 1].
NEW SECTION. Section 4. Severability. If a part of [this act] is invalid, all valid parts that are severable from the invalid part remain in effect. If a part of [this act] is invalid in one or more of its applications, the part remains in effect in all valid applications that are severable from the invalid applications.
NEW SECTION. Section 5. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.
NEW SECTION. Section 6. Applicability. [This act] applies to acts committed on or after [the effective date of this act].
- END -
Latest Version of HB
477 (HB0477.01)
Processed for the Web on February 12, 2015 (7:12pm)
New language in a bill appears underlined, deleted material appears stricken.
Sponsor names are handwritten on introduced bills, hence do not appear on the bill until it is reprinted.
See the status of this bill for the bill's primary sponsor.
Status of this
Bill | 2015
Legislature | Leg. Branch Home
All versions of this bill
(PDF format)
Authorized print version of this bill
w/line numbers (PDF format)
[ NEW
SEARCH ]
Prepared by Montana
Legislative Services
(406) 444-3064