La. Ch. Code art. 1554
This is the official text of La. Ch. Code art. 1554, part of Louisiana’s Children's Code — governs child custody, child protection, and juvenile justice in Louisiana.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Deprivation of medical or surgical care prohibited; exceptions
Official statutory text
No child, including any infant born alive, shall be intentionally denied or deprived of any medical or surgical care by his parent, physician, or any other person when such medical or surgical care is necessary to attempt to save the life of the child in the opinion of a physician exercising competent medical judgment, except:
(1) When a child is in a continual profound comatose state and in the opinion of the child's physician, exercising competent medical judgment, he has no reasonable chance of recovery from that state despite every appropriate medical treatment to correct such condition, the child's parents and physician may discontinue the use of life-support systems or other medical treatment.
(2) When a child suffers from a terminal and irreversible condition despite every appropriate medical treatment to correct such condition, the child's parents and physician may discontinue the use of life-sustaining procedures or other medical treatment.
(3) When the potential risks to the child's life or health inherent in any treatment or surgery outweigh the potential benefits for survival from the treatment or surgery, a child's parents and physician may decline to provide potentially lifesaving medical or surgical care for the child.
Acts 1991, No. 235, ยง15, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
(1) When a child is in a continual profound comatose state and in the opinion of the child's physician, exercising competent medical judgment, he has no reasonable chance of recovery from that state despite every appropriate medical treatment to correct such condition, the child's parents and physician may discontinue the use of life-support systems or other medical treatment.
(2) When a child suffers from a terminal and irreversible condition despite every appropriate medical treatment to correct such condition, the child's parents and physician may discontinue the use of life-sustaining procedures or other medical treatment.
(3) When the potential risks to the child's life or health inherent in any treatment or surgery outweigh the potential benefits for survival from the treatment or surgery, a child's parents and physician may decline to provide potentially lifesaving medical or surgical care for the child.
Acts 1991, No. 235, ยง15, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a child custody matter in Louisiana?
See all Louisiana Child Custody lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.