Texas House green-lights death panels for foreseeable future; kills bill that would end deadly 10-Day Rule

The Texas House of Representatives gave hospital committees a pass to pull the plug on patients against their will for at least the next two years.  This form of imposed death, or involuntary euthanasia, is currently legal under the notorious 10-Day Rule (Chapter 166.046 of the Texas Health and Safety Code) and has victimized hundreds of patients over the last 20 years.  Yet, the House Committee on Calendars killed a bill that could have extended the countdown on patients’ lives from 10 days to 45 days, a policy already passed by the Texas Senate.

A Beaumont family recently rescued their wife and mother, Carolyn Jones, from the 10-Day Rule in a late-night emergency escape from a hostile hospital.  Kina Jones, Carolyn’s daughter, is outraged that lawmakers ignored the trauma that everyday Texans suffer under the draconian policy: “Those who support the 10-Day Rule clearly haven’t experienced it themselves.”

Texas Right to Life is the only organization in the Texas Capitol listed by the state to serve as patient advocates for victims of the 10-Day Rule.  While Texas Right to Life has advocated for patients in person alongside their families for years, high-profile cases like Carolyn Jones, 2015’s Chris Dunn, and 2006’s Andrea Clark yielded an uptick in reports of 10-day cases.  For many of these desperate, vulnerable families, the Texas Right to Life Family Assistance Fund is the last line of defense before the lives of their loved ones are ended prematurely.  Concerned citizens who want to protect patients from the deadly 10-Day Rule can donate to the Family Assistance Fund with the below form.

Protect patients from the 10-Day Rule.  Give now.

Your gift to the Family Assistance Fund (part of the 501c3 Educational Fund) provides free legal aid to families facing the 10-Day Rule and helps transfer vulnerable patients out of hostile hospitals.