California · Probate Code
PROB §3208: (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the court may make an order authorizing the recommended health care for the patient and designating a person to give consent to the recommended health care o
Read the full statutory text
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the court may make an order authorizing the recommended health care for the patient and designating a person to give consent to the recommended health care on behalf of the patient if the court determines from the evidence all of the following: (1) The existing or continuing condition of the patient’s health requires the recommended health care. (2) If untreated, there is a probability that the condition will become life-endangering or result in a serious threat to the physical or mental health of the patient. (3) The patient is unable to consent to the recommended health care. (b) In determining whether the patient’s mental functioning is so severely impaired that the patient lacks the capacity to make any health care decision, the court may take into consideration the frequency, severity, and duration of periods of impairment. (c) The court may make an order authorizing withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration and all other forms of health care and designating a person to give or withhold consent to the recommended health care on behalf of the patient if the court determines from the evidence all of the following: (1) The recommended health care is in accordance with the patient’s best interest, taking into consideration the patient’s personal values to the extent known to the petitioner. (2) The patient is unable to consent to the recommended health care.
Verify at the official source: California legislative text
Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.
MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.
This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.