Tex. Health & Safety Code § 166.038 · Subchapter B. DIRECTIVE TO PHYSICIANS
PROCEDURE WHEN DECLARANT IS INCOMPETENT OR INCAPABLE OF COMMUNICATION.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) This section applies when an adult qualified patient has executed or issued a directive and is incompetent or otherwise mentally or physically incapable of communication.
(b) If the adult qualified patient has designated a person to make a treatment decision as authorized by Section 166.032(c), the attending physician and the designated person may make a treatment decision in accordance with the declarant's directions.
(c) If the adult qualified patient has not designated a person to make a treatment decision, the attending physician shall comply with the directive unless the physician believes that the directive does not reflect the patient's present desire.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Renumbered from 672.008 and amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 450, Sec. 1.03, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.166.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 8f12da828d8c1b94e688210c1b083c7329f78d1fd35d6e0b8b48dcb369b60ded
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
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Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.