§ 5-610. Willful destruction, concealment, damage, etc., of declaration or revocation; penalties

   (a) Willful destruction, concealment, damage, etc., of declaration or revocation. -- Any person who willfully conceals, cancels, defaces, obliterates, or damages the advance directive of another without the declarant's or patient's consent or who falsifies or forges a revocation of the advance directive of another, thereby causing life-sustaining procedures to be utilized in contravention of the previously expressed intent of the patient, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $ 10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or both.

(b) Penalties. -- Any person who falsifies or forges the advance directive of another, or falsifies or forges an affidavit under § 5-605 of this subtitle, or willfully conceals or withholds personal knowledge of the revocation of an advance directive with the intent to cause a withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures, contrary to the wishes of the declarant and thereby, because of such act, directly causes life-sustaining procedures to be withheld or withdrawn and death to be hastened, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $ 10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or both.

(c) Penalties additional. -- The penalties provided in this section shall be in addition to any other penalties provided by law.

HISTORY: 1993, ch. 372, § 2.