Your wishes, in law: Brazil's new Patient Rights Statute puts the patient's own choices at the centre of care

What treatment do you want — and what do you not want — when you cannot speak for yourself? Brazil has now written the answer into law. The Patient Rights Statute, Law No. 15.378/2026, establishes the rights of patients across the health system, emphasising autonomy and informed consent: the right to be told, to choose, and to record preferences for medical care, especially at critical moments and the end of life. For families, it means a loved one's wishes — expressed while they could express them — carry legal weight at the bedside. Researcher and social worker Clisciene Magalhães, who works on end-of-life care, called the statute a significant advance for human dignity: the person, not the procedure, at the centre of medicine.

SDG 16 · Peace, justice and strong institutions — Mechanism: policy reform