Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Michigan Court Ruling Affirms Pregnant Women's Right to Make Their Own End-of-Life Choices by Carrie N. Baker
Update: On April 16, a Michigan court ruled that the state’s Pregnancy Exclusion law—which prevents providers from honoring pregnant women’s documented end-of-life decisions—violates a voter-approved 2022 constitutional amendment protecting “the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy.”
The court said laws like this have been used to keep pregnant patients on life support against their wishes—prolonging suffering for both them and their families “simply because they are pregnant.”
“The most sacred decisions a person will make—about how they will birth and how they will die—belong to them and not the state or anyone else,” said Farah Diaz-Tello, the plaintiff’s attorney Diaz-Tello and senior counsel and legal director at If/When/How. “These are rights that can’t be taken away because someone is pregnant; in fact, they should be even more closely guarded in these vulnerable moments.”
One of the patient plaintiffs, Nikki Sapiro Vinckier, celebrated the decision: “This case is a powerful example of how individuals can shape their state constitutions and, in doing so, create the pathway for wins like this.”
While over 30 states have pregnancy exclusion laws limiting advance directives and living wills for pregnant women, several states such as Colorado and Washington have repealed them legislatively or by court order, such as Idaho.
The court said laws like this have been used to keep pregnant patients on life support against their wishes—prolonging suffering for both them and their families “simply because they are pregnant.”
“The most sacred decisions a person will make—about how they will birth and how they will die—belong to them and not the state or anyone else,” said Farah Diaz-Tello, the plaintiff’s attorney Diaz-Tello and senior counsel and legal director at If/When/How. “These are rights that can’t be taken away because someone is pregnant; in fact, they should be even more closely guarded in these vulnerable moments.”
One of the patient plaintiffs, Nikki Sapiro Vinckier, celebrated the decision: “This case is a powerful example of how individuals can shape their state constitutions and, in doing so, create the pathway for wins like this.”
While over 30 states have pregnancy exclusion laws limiting advance directives and living wills for pregnant women, several states such as Colorado and Washington have repealed them legislatively or by court order, such as Idaho.
https://msmagazine.com/2025/11/11/advance-directive-pregnancy-exception-sue-michigan-law-denying-pregnant-women-control-bodies-end-of-life-decisions/
This backwards f*cking country!
