54.1-2989 - Willful destruction, concealment, etc., of declaration or revocation; penalties. - Virginia Statutes

§ 54.1-2989. Willful destruction, concealment, etc., of declaration orrevocation; penalties.

A. Any person who willfully (i) conceals, cancels, defaces, obliterates, ordamages the advance directive or Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order of anotherwithout the declarant's or patient's consent or the consent of the personauthorized to consent for the patient; (ii) falsifies or forges the advancedirective or Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order of another; or (iii) falsifiesor forges a revocation of the advance directive or Durable Do Not ResuscitateOrder of another shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If such actioncauses life-prolonging procedures to be utilized in contravention of thepreviously expressed intent of the patient or a Durable Do Not ResuscitateOrder, the person committing such action shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

B. Any person who willfully (i) conceals, cancels, defaces, obliterates, ordamages the advance directive or Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order of anotherwithout the declarant's or patient's consent or the consent of the personauthorized to consent for the patient, (ii) falsifies or forges the advancedirective or Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order of another, (iii) falsifies orforges a revocation of the advance directive or Durable Do Not ResuscitateOrder of another, or (iv) conceals or withholds personal knowledge of therevocation of an advance directive or Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order, withthe intent to cause a withholding or withdrawal of life-prolongingprocedures, contrary to the wishes of the declarant or a patient, andthereby, because of such act, directly causes life-prolonging procedures tobe withheld or withdrawn and death to be hastened, shall be guilty of a Class2 felony.

(1983, c. 532, § 54-325.8:9; 1988, c. 765; 1992, cc. 412, 748, 772; 1998, cc.803, 854; 1999, c. 814; 2009, cc. 211, 268.)