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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>56394</law_id><section_number>54.1-2983.3</section_number><catch_line>Exclusions and limitations of advance directives</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="8">Health Care Decisions Act</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> The absence of an <span class="dictionary">advance directive</span> by an adult patient shall not give rise to any <span class="dictionary">presumption</span> as to his <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to consent to or refuse any particular <span class="dictionary">health care</span>. <a id="paragraph-206484" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2983.3/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The provisions of this article shall not apply to authorization of nontherapeutic sterilization, abortion, or psychosurgery. <a id="paragraph-206485" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2983.3/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If any provision of a patient&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">advance directive</span> conflicts with the authority conferred by any emergency <span class="dictionary">custody</span>, temporary detention, involuntary admission, and mandatory outpatient treatment <span class="dictionary">order</span> set forth in Chapter 8 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026). Applicability of chapter" href="/37.2-800/">37.2-800</a> et seq.) of Title 37.2 or by any other provision of <span class="dictionary">law</span>, the provisions of the patient&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">advance directive</span> that create the conflict shall have no effect. However, a patient&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">advance directive</span> shall otherwise be given full effect. <a id="paragraph-206486" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2983.3/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> The provisions of this article, if otherwise applicable, may be used to authorize admission of a patient to a facility, as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/37.2-100/">37.2-100</a>, only if the admission is otherwise authorized under Chapter 8 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026). Applicability of chapter" href="/37.2-800/">37.2-800</a> et seq.) of Title 37.2. <a id="paragraph-206487" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2983.3/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2009, cc. 211, 268; 2010, c. 792.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
