Chapter 3795 | Assisted Suicide

Section 3795.01 | Assisted suicide definitions.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

As used in sections 3795.01, 3795.02, and 3795.03 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Assist suicide" or "assisting suicide" means knowingly doing either of the following, with the purpose of helping another person to commit or attempt suicide:

(1) Providing the physical means by which the person commits or attempts to commit suicide;

(2) Participating in a physical act by which the person commits or attempts to commit suicide.

(B) "Certified nurse practitioner," "certified nurse-midwife," and "clinical nurse specialist" have the same meanings as in section 4723.01 of the Revised Code.

(C) "CPR" has the same meaning as in section 2133.21 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Health care" means any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or treat a person's physical or mental condition.

(E) "Health care decision" means informed consent, refusal to give informed consent, or withdrawal of informed consent to health care.

(F) "Health care facility" means any of the following:

(1) A hospital;

(2) A hospice care program or pediatric respite care program as defined in section 3712.01 of the Revised Code;

(3) A nursing home;

(4) A home health agency;

(5) An intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

(G) "Health care personnel" means physicians, nurses, physician assistants, emergency medical technicians-basic, emergency medical technicians-intermediate, emergency medical technicians-paramedic, medical technicians, dietitians, other authorized persons acting under the direction of an attending physician, and administrators of health care facilities.

(H) "Physician" means a person who is authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery.

Section 3795.02 | Declaring public policy of state - injunctions.

• Effective: March 24, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 474 - 124th General Assembly

(A) Assisting suicide is hereby declared to be against the public policy of the state.

(B) A court of common pleas shall grant an injunction enjoining any action related to assisting suicide if it finds there is reason to believe that the person enjoined is preparing to assist a suicide, is in the course of assisting a suicide, or has assisted a suicide. The injunction shall prohibit the person from assisting any suicide in this state regardless of who is being assisted. The injunction may be granted at the request of any of the following:

(1) A person who has prepared or attempted to commit suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(2) The guardian, spouse, parent, child, or sibling of a person who is preparing or has prepared to commit, who is attempting or has attempted to commit, or who committed suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(3) A person entitled to inherit from a person who is preparing or has prepared to commit, who is attempting or has attempted to commit, or who committed suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(4) A person who has inherited from a person who has prepared or attempted to commit or who committed suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(5) An individual who is providing or has provided health care to a person who is preparing or has prepared to commit or who is attempting or has attempted to commit suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(6) An individual who has provided health care to a person who committed suicide with the assistance of the person sought to be enjoined;

(7) A prosecuting attorney;

(8) The attorney general.

If an injunction is granted, the court may award the party requesting the injunction all reasonable attorney's fees, which shall be considered damages.

Section 3795.03 | Exceptions.

• Effective: March 21, 2017
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 470 - 131st General Assembly

Nothing in section 3795.01, 3795.02, or 3795.04 of the Revised Code shall do any of the following:

(A) Prohibit or preclude a physician, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or clinical nurse specialist who carries out the responsibility to provide comfort care to a patient in good faith and while acting within the scope of the physician's or nurse's authority from prescribing, dispensing, administering, or causing to be administered any particular medical procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure to the patient, including, but not limited to, prescribing, personally furnishing, administering, or causing to be administered by judicious titration or in another manner any form of medication, for the purpose of diminishing the patient's pain or discomfort and not for the purpose of postponing or causing the patient's death, even though the medical procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure may appear to hasten or increase the risk of the patient's death;

(B) Prohibit or preclude health care personnel acting under the direction of a person authorized to prescribe a patient's treatment and who carry out the responsibility to provide comfort care to the patient in good faith and while acting within the scope of their authority from dispensing, administering, or causing to be administered any particular medical procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure to the patient, including, but not limited to, personally furnishing, administering, or causing to be administered by judicious titration or in another manner any form of medication, for the purpose of diminishing the patient's pain or discomfort and not for the purpose of postponing or causing the patient's death, even though the medical procedure, treatment, intervention, or other measure may appear to hasten or increase the risk of the patient's death;

(C) Prohibit or affect the use or continuation, or the withholding or withdrawal, of life-sustaining treatment, CPR, or comfort care under Chapter 2133. of the Revised Code;

(D) Prohibit or affect the provision or withholding of health care, life-sustaining treatment, or comfort care to a principal under a durable power of attorney for health care or any other health care decision made by an attorney in fact under sections 1337.11 to 1337.17 of the Revised Code;

(E) Affect or limit the authority of a physician, a health care facility, a person employed by or under contract with a health care facility, or emergency service personnel to provide or withhold health care to a person in accordance with reasonable medical standards applicable in an emergency situation;

(F) Affect or limit the authority of a person to refuse to give informed consent to health care, including through the execution of a durable power of attorney for health care under sections 1337.11 to 1337.17 of the Revised Code, the execution of a declaration under sections 2133.01 to 2133.15 of the Revised Code, or authorizing the withholding or withdrawal of CPR under sections 2133.21 to 2133.26 of the Revised Code.

Section 3795.04 | Assisted suicide.

• Effective: March 21, 2017
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 470 - 131st General Assembly

(A) Except as provided in section 3795.03 of the Revised Code, no person shall knowingly cause another person to commit or attempt to commit suicide by doing either of the following:

(1) Providing the physical means by which the other person commits or attempts to commit suicide;

(2) Participating in a physical act by which the other person commits or attempts to commit suicide.

(B) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of assisting suicide, a felony of the third degree.