Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110
§14402 Restriction on Use of Federal Funds Under Health Care Programs
Title 42 › CHAPTER 138 — ASSISTED SUICIDE FUNDING RESTRICTION › § 14402
Summary
Federal money meant to pay for health care must not be used to provide, pay for, or cover insurance for any item or service whose purpose is to cause or help cause a person’s death, such as assisted suicide or euthanasia. It also does not allow use of those funds to pay expenses for such services. Those limits do not stop stopping or removing medical treatment or nutrition, do not change rules about abortion, and do not stop giving pain relief that may hasten death if the care is not intended to cause death. The rule also applies to federal hospitals and government health workers, and to federal health programs like Medicare, Medicaid, certain health block grants, the Public Health Service, Indian Health Care, federal employee, military and veterans health plans, Peace Corps health services, and medical care for federal prisoners; the listed programs and facilities are not the only ones covered.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §14402
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Restriction on Federal funding of health care services
Subject to subsection (b), no funds appropriated by Congress for the purpose of paying (directly or indirectly) for the provision of health care services may be used—
(1)to provide any health care item or service furnished for the purpose of causing, or for the purpose of assisting in causing, the death of any individual, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing;
(2)to pay (directly, through payment of Federal financial participation or other matching payment, or otherwise) for such an item or service, including payment of expenses relating to such an item or service; or
(3)to pay (in whole or in part) for health benefit coverage that includes any coverage of such an item or service or of any expenses relating to such an item or service.
(b)Construction and treatment of certain services
Nothing in subsection (a), or in any other provision of this chapter (or in any amendment made by this chapter), shall be construed to apply to or to affect any limitation relating to—
(1)the withholding or withdrawing of medical treatment or medical care;
(2)the withholding or withdrawing of nutrition or hydration;
(3)abortion; or
(4)the use of an item, good, benefit, or service furnished for the purpose of alleviating pain or discomfort, even if such use may increase the risk of death, so long as such item, good, benefit, or service is not also furnished for the purpose of causing, or the purpose of assisting in causing, death, for any reason.
(c)Limitation on Federal facilities and employees
Subject to subsection (b), with respect to health care items and services furnished—
(1)by or in a health care facility owned or operated by the Federal government, or
(2)by any physician or other individual employed by the Federal government to provide health care services within the scope of the physician’s or individual’s employment,
no such item or service may be furnished for the purpose of causing, or for the purpose of assisting in causing, the death of any individual, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing.
(d)List of programs to which restrictions apply
(1)Federal health care funding programs
Subsection (a) applies to funds appropriated under or to carry out the following:
(A)Medicare program
Title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.].
(B)Medicaid program
Title XIX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.].
(C)Title XX social services block grant
Title XX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.].
(D)Maternal and child health block grant program
Title V of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.].
(E)Public Health Service Act
The Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.].
(F)Indian Health Care Improvement Act
The Indian Health Care Improvement Act [25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.].
(G)Federal employees health benefits program
Chapter 89 of title 5.
(H)Military health care system (including Tricare and CHAMPUS programs)
Chapter 55 of title 10.
(I)Veterans medical care
Chapter 17 of title 38.
(J)Health services for Peace Corps volunteers
section 2504(e) of title 22.
(K)Medical services for Federal prisoners
section 4005(a) of title 18.
(2)Federal facilities and personnel
The provisions of subsection (c) apply to facilities and personnel of the following:
(A)Military health care system
The Department of Defense operating under chapter 55 of title 10.
(B)Veterans medical care
The Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(C)Public Health Service
The Public Health Service.
(3)Nonexclusive list
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting the application of subsection (a) to the programs specified in paragraph (1) or the application of subsection (c) to the facilities and personnel specified in paragraph (2).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 105–12, Apr. 30, 1997, 111 Stat. 23, known as the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 14401 of this title and Tables. The Social Security Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(A)–(D), is act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620. Titles V, XVIII, XIX, and XX of the Act are classified generally to subchapters V (§ 701 et seq.), XVIII (§ 1395 et seq.), XIX (§ 1396 et seq.), and XX (§ 1397 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 7 of this title, respectively. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1305 of this title and Tables. The Public Health Service Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(E), is act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, 58 Stat. 682, which is classified generally to chapter 6A (§ 201 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 201 of this title and Tables. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(F), is Pub. L. 94–437, Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1400, which is classified principally to chapter 18 (§ 1601 et seq.) of Title 25, Indians. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 1601 of Title 25 and Tables.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 14402
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110