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<section article="get" article_name="Estates and Trusts" number="13-711" title_number="13" title_name="Protection of Minors, Disabled Persons, Susceptible Adults, and Older Adults" subtitle_number="7">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this Part III of this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>“Best interest” means that the benefits to the disabled person resulting from a treatment outweigh the burdens to the disabled person resulting from that treatment, taking into account:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The effect of the treatment on the physical, emotional, and cognitive functions of the disabled person;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The degree of physical pain or discomfort caused to the disabled person by the treatment, or the withholding or withdrawal of the treatment;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The degree to which the disabled person’s medical condition, the treatment, or the withholding or withdrawal of treatment results in a severe and continuing impairment of the dignity of the disabled person by subjecting the individual to a condition of extreme humiliation and dependency;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The effect of the treatment on the life expectancy of the disabled person;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>The prognosis of the disabled person for recovery, with and without the treatment;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>The risks, side effects, and benefits of the treatment or the withholding or withdrawal of the treatment; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>The religious beliefs and basic values of the disabled person receiving treatment, to the extent these may assist the decision maker in determining best interest.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>“Life-sustaining procedure” means any medical procedure, treatment, or intervention used to sustain, restore, supplement, or supplant a spontaneous vital function in order to prevent or postpone the death of a disabled person.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Substituted judgment” means a determination by a court that a disabled person would, if competent, make the same health care decision regarding a life-sustaining procedure taking into account any information that may be relevant to the decision, including:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The current diagnosis, prognosis with and without the life-sustaining procedure, and life expectancy of the disabled person;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any expressed preferences of the disabled person regarding the provision of, or the withholding or withdrawal of, the life-sustaining procedure at issue;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Any expressed preferences of the disabled person about the provision of, or the withholding or withdrawal of, life-sustaining procedures generally;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Any religious or moral beliefs or personal values of the disabled person in relation to the provision of, or the withholding or withdrawal of, life-sustaining procedures;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Any behavioral or other manifestations of the attitude of the disabled person toward the provision of, or the withholding or withdrawal of, the life-sustaining procedure;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Any consistent pattern of conduct by the disabled person regarding prior decisions about health care;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Any reactions of the disabled person to the provision of, or the withholding or withdrawal of, a comparable life-sustaining procedure for another individual; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>Any expressed concerns of the disabled person about the effect on the family or intimate friends of the disabled person if a life-sustaining procedure were provided, withheld, or withdrawn.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
