Section 14 - Physicians; Refusal to Honor Proxy

MA Gen L ch 201d § 14 (2019) (N/A)

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Section 14. Notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require a physician to honor an agent's health care decision that the physician would not honor if the decision had been made by the principal because the decision is contrary to the moral or religious views of the physician; provided, however, that the patient is transferred to another physician in the same facility, or in an equivalent facility that is reasonably accessible to the patient's family, who is willing to honor the agent's decision. If the physician or the agent is unable to arrange such a transfer, the physician shall seek judicial relief or honor the agent's decision.

Refusal to carry out actions requested by the agent when those actions would be contrary to the moral or religious views of the physician or other individual health provider shall not be grounds for dismissal, suspension, demotion, failure to promote, discrimination in hiring, withholding of pay or refusal to grant financial assistance under any state aided project, or used in any way to the detriment of that individual in any hospital, clinic, medical, premedical, nursing, social work, or psychology school or state aided program or institution which is supported in whole or in part by the commonwealth; provided, however, that individuals fulfill all the responsibilities required under section fourteen or fifteen.

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