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2000 LAWS OF MARYLAND
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Ch. 106
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assistant, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, nurse practitioner, dentist, [or]
pharmacist, OR AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDER AS DEFINED IN §
13-516 OF THE EDUCATION ARTICLE.
(3) "Suicide" means the act or instance of intentionally taking one's own
life.
(b) An individual may not, with the purpose of assisting another person to
commit or to attempt to commit suicide:
(1) Knowingly cause, by coercion, duress, or deception, another person to
commit suicide or to attempt to commit suicide;
(2) Knowingly provide the physical means by which another person
commits or attempts to commit suicide with knowledge of the person's intent to use
the physical means to commit suicide; or
(3) Knowingly participate in a physical act by which another person
commits or attempts to commit suicide.
(c) (1) A licensed health care professional who administers, prescribes, or
dispenses medications or procedures to relieve pain, even if the medication or
procedure may hasten or increase the risk of death, is not in violation of subsection (b)
of this section unless the medications or procedures are knowingly administered,
prescribed, or dispensed to cause death.
(2) A family member who is a care giver for a patient enrolled in a
licensed hospice program and who under the supervision of a health care professional
administers or dispenses medications or procedures to relieve pain, even if the
medication or procedure may hasten or increase the risk of death, is not in violation of
subsection (b) of this section unless the medications or procedures are knowingly
administered or dispensed to cause death.
(3) A licensed health care professional who withholds or withdraws a
medically administered life sustaining procedure in compliance with the Health Care
Decisions Act under Title 5, Subtitle 6 of the Health - General Article or in accordance
with reasonable medical practice is not in violation of subsection (b) of this section.
(d) An individual who violates this section is guilty of a felony and on
conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 1
year or both.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be
construed retroactively and shall be applied to and interpreted to affect all potential
criminal liability of emergency medical services providers under Article 27, § 416 of
the Annotated Code of Maryland arising from an incident occurring on or after
October 1, 1999.
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an
emergency measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health
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