Nhung Truong proposed the law, currently called Assembly Bill AB 2565, as part of Assemblyman Mike Eng‘s 2007 contest for his constituents to propose their own legislations, called “There ought to be a law.”

AB 2565 would require hospitals to allow time for the family of brain-dead patients to properly bid farewell according to their religion or culture, before turning off life support.

Nhung Truong (pictured left with Assemblyman Eng at the hearing in the State Capitol on the proposed legislation) was inspired by the circumstances around the death of her mother Nghia Tran.

Mrs. Tran had suffered a stroke, was taken to a hospital, but was declared brain dead and life support was cut off before the family had had the chance to gather to say their final good-byes.

Nhung Truong’s legislation passed the Assembly 77-0.

Below is the press release from Mike Eng’s office:

DYING MOTHER INSPIRES LEGISLATION THAT IS
HEADED FOR GOVERNOR’S CONSIDERATION

Sacramento, CA – Assembly Bill AB 2565, authored by Assemblymember Mike Eng (D- Monterey Park), passed out of the Assembly on a vote of 77-0. Specifically, AB 2565 requires hospitals to adopt a policy providing a reasonable amount of time for family members or next of kin of brain dead patients to perform any personal and/or special religious or cultural practices.

“This is a significant step in the right direction,” stated Assemblymember Eng. “Families and next of kin are closer to receiving a reasonable time to bid their final farewells in an appropriate and respectful manner.”

Currently, there are no statutes or regulations in place to specify how much time hospitals and doctors must afford families or next of kin for a final visit when a patient has been diagnosed as brain dead and, thus, required to be removed from life support. Although most, if not all, hospitals have some kind of policy in place, those policies differ from one hospital to the next.

AB 2565 was derived by constituent and winner of Assemblymember Mike Eng’s 2007 There Ought To Be A Law Contest, Nhung Truong. Ms. Truong, a resident from the City of San Gabriel, proposed this idea after the passing of her mother, Nghia Tran.

Ms. Truong’s mother had experienced a severe stroke and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She would eventually be diagnosed as neurologically dead and was taken off life support with short notice to the family. Ms. Truong urged the legislature to develop procedures whereby family members in her same situation would be given a reasonable opportunity to gather family, friends, and clergy members to say their final good-byes before a loved one is taken off life support.

The bill is headed to the Governor’s desk.

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