Title 25, Public Health and Environment
0 chapters · 1,375 sections in this title.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-101 Short title
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The short title of this article is the “Colorado End-of-life Options Act”.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-102 Definitions
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(1) As used in this article 48, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Adult” means an individual who is eighteen years of age or older. (1.5) “Advanced practice registered nurse” has the same meaning as set forth in section 12-255-104 (1). (2) “Attending provider” means a p…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-103 Right to request medical aid-in-dying medication
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(1) An adult resident of Colorado may make a request, in accordance with sections 25-48-104 and 25-48-112, to receive a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication if: (a) The individual’s attending provider has diagnosed the individual with a terminal illness with a prognos…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-104 Request process - witness requirements
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(1) (a) Except as provided in subsection (1)(b) of this section, in order to receive a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication pursuant to this article 48, an individual who satisfies the requirements in section 25-48-103 must make two oral requests, separated by at leas…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-105 Right to rescind request - requirement to offer opportunity to rescind
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(1) At any time, an individual may rescind his or her request for medical aid-in-dying medication without regard to the individual’s mental state. (2) An attending provider shall not write a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication under this article 48 unless the attendi…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-106 Attending provider responsibilities
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(1) The attending provider shall: (a) Make the initial determination of whether an individual requesting medical aid-in- dying medication has a terminal illness, has a prognosis of six months or less, is mentally capable, is making an informed decision, and has made the request v…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-107 Consulting provider responsibilities
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(1) Before an individual who is requesting medical aid-in-dying medication may receive a prescription for the medical aid-in-dying medication, a consulting provider must: (a) Examine the individual and the individual’s relevant medical records; and (b) Confirm, in writing, to the…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-108 Confirmation that individual is mentally capable - referral to mental health professional
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(1) If either the attending provider or the consulting provider has doubts as to whether an individual is mentally capable, the provider shall refer the individual to a licensed mental health provider for determination regarding mental capability. (2) The licensed mental health p…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-109 Death certificate
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(1) Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the attending provider or the hospice medical director shall sign the death certificate of a qualified individual who obtained and self-administered medical aid-in-dying medication. (2) When a death has occurred in accordance with this arti…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-110 Informed decision required
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(1) An individual with a terminal illness is not a qualified individual and may not receive a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication unless he or she has made an informed decision. (2) Immediately before writing a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication under t…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-111 Medical record documentation requirements - reporting requirements - department compliance reviews - rules
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(1) The attending provider shall document in the individual’s medical record the following information: (a) Dates of all oral requests; (b) A valid written request; (c) The attending provider’s diagnosis and prognosis, determination of mental capacity, and that the individual is …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-112 Form of written request
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(1) A request for medical aid-in-dying medication authorized by this article 48 must be in substantially the following form: Request for medication to end my life in a peaceful mannerI, am an adult of sound mind. I am suffering from , which my attending provider has determined is…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-113 Standard of care
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(1) Physicians and health-care providers shall provide medical services under this act that meet or exceed the standard of care for end-of-life medical care. (2) If a health-care provider is unable or unwilling to carry out an eligible individual’s request and the individual tran…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-114 Effect on wills, contracts, and statutes
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(1) A provision in a contract, will, or other agreement, whether written or oral, that would affect whether an individual may make or rescind a request for medical aid in dying pursuant to this article is invalid. (2) An obligation owing under any currently existing contract must…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-115 Insurance or annuity policies
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(1) The sale, procurement, or issuance of, or the rate charged for, any life, health, or accident insurance or annuity policy must not be conditioned upon, or affected by, an individual’s act of making or rescinding a request for medical aid-in-dying medication in accordance with…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-116 Immunity for actions in good faith - prohibition against reprisals
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(1) A person is not subject to civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for acting in good faith under this article, which includes being present when a qualified individual self-administers the prescribed medical aid-in-dying medication. (2) Except as prov…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-117 No duty to prescribe or dispense
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(1) A health-care provider may choose whether to participate in providing medical aid-in-dying medication to an individual in accordance with this article. (2) If a health-care provider is unable or unwilling to carry out an individual’s request for medical aid-in-dying medicatio…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-118 Health-care facility permissible prohibitions - notice to the public - sanctions if provider violates policy
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(1) A health-care facility may prohibit a provider employed or under contract from writing a prescription for medical aid-in-dying medication for a qualified individual who intends to use the medical aid-in-dying medication on the facility’s premises. The health-care facility mus…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-119 Liabilities
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(1) A person commits a class 2 felony and is subject to punishment in accordance with section 18-1.3-401, C.R.S. if the person, knowingly or intentionally causes an individual’s death by: (a) Forging or altering a request for medical aid-in-dying medication to end an individual’s…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-120 Safe disposal of unused medical aid-in-dying medications
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(1) A person who has custody or control of medical aid-in-dying medication dispensed under this article 48 after a terminally ill individual’s death shall dispose of the unused medical aid-in-dying medication either by: (a) Returning the unused medical aid-in-dying medication to …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-121 Actions complying with article not a crime
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Nothing in this article 48 authorizes a provider or any other person to end an individual’s life by lethal injection, mercy killing, or euthanasia. Actions taken in accordance with this article 48 do not, for any purpose, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing, homic…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-122 Claims by government entity for costs
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A government entity that incurs costs resulting from self-administration of medication prescribed under this article 48 in a public place has a claim against the estate of the individual to recover the costs and reasonable attorney fees related to enforcing the claim.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-123 No effect on advance medical directives
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(1) Nothing in this article shall change the legal effect of: (1) A declaration made under article 18 of title 15, C.R.S., directing that life-sustaining procedures be withheld or withdrawn; (2) A cardiopulmonary resuscitation directive executed under article 18.6 of title 15, C.…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-48-124 Severability
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If any part of this article 48 is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition for receipt of federal funds, the conflicting part of this section is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict, and the conflict does not affect the operati…