New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 4 - Executive Orders (Mario M. Cuomo) › Section 4.56 - Executive order no. 56: establishing the new york state task force on life and the law

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, major advances in medical science and technology
					 have not been accompanied by a sufficiently thorough evaluation of their
					 ethical, legal and public policy implications; and
WHEREAS, as a result, society has, with increasing
					 frequency, been confronted by complex issues of life and death that elude
					 simple answers; and
WHEREAS, the challenges posed by these issues require
					 thoughtful debate and consideration, aimed at elevating public understanding of
					 these issues and at developing recommendations as to the appropriate policies
					 to pursue;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
					 New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws
					 of the State of New York, do hereby establish the New York State Task Force on
					 Life and the Law.
I. Membership
The task force shall consist of an initial membership of 23
					 members appointed by the Governor. Members of the task force shall include
					 persons of various religious affiliations, representatives of the legal,
					 medical and academic communities, and others with a demonstrated interest
					 and/or expertise in these issues. The Commissioner of Health shall serve as
					 chairperson of the task force. The task force may establish such subcommittees
					 as may be necessary to enhance its study of the issues under its review. Such
					 subcommittees shall be chaired by members of the task force, but may include
					 persons with relevant expertise and interest who are not members of the task
					 force. The members of the task force or of any of its subcommittees shall not
					 receive compensation for their service, but shall be entitled to reimbursement
					 for any necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their
					 duties.
II. Powers and
				  Responsibilities
The task force shall undertake studies of the ethical and
					 legal implications of:
the process by which medical-care decisions are made in
					 cases involving disabled newborns and others without decisionmaking
					 capacity;
the definition of death;
the process by which decisions are made concerning the
					 discontinuance of life-sustaining therapies and the issuance of "do not
					 resuscitate" orders;
issues surrounding artificial insemination and embryo
					 transplantation;
policies governing organ transplantation; and such other
					 health-related matters as may be appropriate for study by the task
					 force.
The task force studies shall include: a review of current
					 law and practice pertaining to these issues; an analysis of the proper roles of
					 patients, family members, health-care professionals and the courts in making
					 health-care decisions; the advisability of adopting legislative or
					 administrative policies affecting these issues, where appropriate; and
					 recommendations to enhance public consideration of those issues not susceptible
					 to immediate legal or administrative resolution.
The task force shall also assemble information and facts
					 concerning abortion in New York State, including the New York experience within
					 the existing legal context, the incidence of abortion in the State and the
					 circumstances under which abortions are performed.
The task force shall submit an interim report no later than
					 May 1, 1985.
III.
				  Assistance to the Task Force
All departments, agencies, divisions, boards and offices of
					 the State are directed to cooperate with the task force and to provide such
					 assistance as the task force may require to fulfill its purposes. Such purposes
					 may include, but need not be limited to, the use of agency staff, the provision
					 of statistical and policy data in such form as is determined by the task force,
					 and consultation with agency staff as the task force may require.
Signed: Mario M. CuomoDated: December 20,
					 1984