<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta charset="UTF-8" /><meta http-equiv='content-language' content='en-us'/><title>SDLRC - Codified Law 59-7-2.7 - Comfort care required--Conditions for withdrawal of artificial nutrition or hydration. </title><meta name="Generator" content="PowerTools for Open XML" /><style>span { white-space: pre-wrap; } p.s2077449Normal { text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s2077449SENU { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s2077449CL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s2077449Normal-000000 { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s2077449DefaultParagraphFont { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s2077449Normal-000001 { margin-left: 0.70in; text-indent: -0.45in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s2077449000002 { font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s2077449SCL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s2077449SCL-000003 { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } body { text-decoration-skip-ink: none; } </style></head><body><div><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal"><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&amp;Statute=59-7-2.7"><span class="s2077449SENU">59-7-2.7</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s2077449SENU">. </span><span class="s2077449CL">Comfort care required--Conditions for withdrawal of artificial nutrition or hydration.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000000"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">The attorney-in-fact or agent may not authorize the withholding or withdrawal of comfort care from the principal. The attorney-in-fact or agent may authorize that artificial nutrition or hydration be withheld or withdrawn if one or more of the following exist:</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(1)    Artificial nutrition or hydration is not needed for comfort care or the relief of pain and the attending physician reasonably believes that the principal's death is imminent; or</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(2)    Artificial nutrition or hydration cannot be physically assimilated by the principal; or</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(3)    The burden of providing artificial nutrition or hydration outweighs its benefit, provided that the determination of burden refers to the provision of artificial nutrition or hydration itself and not to the quality of the continued life of the principal; or</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(4)    There is clear and convincing evidence that the principal expressed the desire that artificial nutrition or hydration be withheld, or refused artificial nutrition or hydration prior to the loss of decisional capacity; or</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(5)    The principal expressed in the document creating the power of attorney that artificial nutrition or hydration be withheld; or</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal-000001"><span class="s2077449DefaultParagraphFont">(6)    The principal expressly authorized, in the writing creating the power of attorney, the attorney-in-fact or agent to direct the withholding of artificial nutrition or hydration.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s2077449000002"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s2077449Normal"><span class="s2077449SCL">Source:</span><span xml:space="preserve" class="s2077449SCL-000003"> SL 1990, ch 412, § 4; SL 2007, ch 296, § 2.</span></p></div></body></html>