Task Force on Life and the Law - Fact Sheet
Convened in 1985, the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law has a mandate to develop public policy on a host of issues arising from medical advances, including the withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, assisted suicide and euthanasia, assisted reproductive technologies, and organ and tissue transplantation. The Task Force members include leaders in the fields of law, medicine, nursing, philosophy and bioethics, as well as patient advocates and representatives of diverse religious communities. The New York State Commissioner of Health serves as Chair of the Task Force.
Recommendations of the Task Force have been influential in the following respects:
- Legislation and Regulation in New York State. Seven of the Task Force's recommendations for legislation or regulation have been enacted in New York State. Task Force recommendations have provided the basis for New York's laws and regulations on the determination of death, do-not-resuscitate orders in hospitals and community settings, the health care proxy, organ and tissue transplantation, surrogate parenting, and palliative care. Other Task Force proposals are pending in the New York State Legislature and the administrative rulemaking process.
- Legislation in Other States. Task Force recommendations also have been embraced as models for legislation in other states. Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Vermont have adopted statutes directly based on Task Force proposals.
- Impact on Court Decisions. The Task Force's reports and recommendations have been cited in a number of important federal and state court decisions, including decisions by the United States Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals.
- Contribution to the Academic Literature. Many of the Task Force's reports have become standard references in the field of medical ethics. The reports are frequently used as required reading in courses on medical ethics, law, and public policy, and are cited regularly in the medical, legal, and social science literature. They are part of university, government, and hospital libraries nationally and internationally.
- Public and Professional Education. Task Force members and staff frequently speak at professional conferences about Task Force proposals. Recently, Task Force representatives have spoken at the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, the New York Academy of Medicine, the White House Conference on Aging and Developmental Disabilities, and the American Medical Association Conference on State Legislation. In addition, the Task Force has produced guidebooks for health care professionals and the public about important bioethical issues.