Beware of hospitals who would force this order on you or your loved one.
When Jason White* contracted COVID-19, he never imagined that the hospital charged with his care would pressure his wife to withhold life-saving CPR.
But after complications from the virus landed Jason in a hospital in Travis County, his wife, Camila*, received chilling news from Jason’s doctor.
As Camila relates, this doctor informed her that hospital policy required all COVID-19 patients to be issued a Do-Not-Resuscitate order (DNR).
A DNR, also known as a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR), dictates that if a patient’s heart or breathing stops, the hospital staff will not make any attempts to revive the patient.
A DNR may be signed by the patient himself or, if the patient is incapacitated, by the patient’s health care surrogate decision maker.
In Texas, hospitals are prohibited from placing a DNR on a patient without consent from the patient or surrogate. Sadly, some hospitals do not always follow the rules.
Some Texas hospitals have been known to slip a DNR into a patient’s file without the family’s knowledge or consent.
DNRs in these circumstances often remain undiscovered until a time of medical crisis, very often by this point nothing can be done to undo the damage.
Lying in his hospital bed, fighting desperately against COVID-19, Jason was unaware that the facility had placed a DNR on his life in the name of alleged “hospital policy.”
Camila, as his designated decision maker under Texas law, called Texas Right to Life for guidance.
Thanks to your support, Texas Right to Life’s patient advocates were able to intervene on the family’s behalf. They ensured the hospital revoked the DNR in accordance with Texas law.
Knowing that this unsolicited DNR would end her husband’s life in the event of cardiac arrest, Camila stood strong, stuck to her rights, and firmly rejected the order.
Finally, the hospital acknowledged Camila’s revocation and removed the DNR from Jason’s records. They even went so far as to deny that any policy of routinely issuing DNRs for COVID-19 patients was ever in place.
Thanks to you, a supporter of Texas Right to Life, Jason did not fall prey to the hospital’s scheme that day.
He walked out of the hospital some months later having survived his severe bout with COVID-19. Today he is on his way to a complete recovery!
Not every DNR conflict ends with such a miracle.
Do not let this happen to you. Like Jason and Camila, you have a right to make the medical decisions that you deem appropriate. You have the right for those life-and-death decisions to be respected by your medical providers.
If a hospital is pressuring or forcing you or your loved one to sign a DNR, call (713) 782-5433 or visit TexasRightToLife.com/Patient-Portal. One of the patient advocates at Texas Right to Life will be ready to assist you!
Watch this video that summarizes everything you need to know about DNR orders. This will help so that you can make an informed decision for yourself or your loved one.
Please watch and share the video with your friends and family to raise awareness about hospitals and their unscrupulous exploitation of DNR orders.
Thank you for joining forces with our Patient Advocacy team by faithfully supporting the Pro-Life cause!
If you want lawmakers to protect Texas patients from denial of treatment, urge Governor Abbott to add Pro-Life Priority Bills to the July special session agenda.
*Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.
