The Living Will: Avoiding the Terri Schiavo Situation

The living will is an important health care document often referred to as an advanced directive because you're making a health care decision in advance. If Terri Schiavo had had a living will, she would not have artificially been kept alive for 15 years. Perhaps, a living will is right for you.

If you're like most people, you've heard about the Florida woman, named Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years. She had told her husband, Michael, that she didn't want to be hooked up to machines if something happened to her, but she never got around to putting it in writing.

One night, Terri collapsed in her home and never recovered. After eight years in a persistent vegetative state, Michael sought to have the feeding tube removed thereby allowing Terri to die naturally. Terri's mother disagreed and because Terri did not have a living will, her life was artificially extended.

There was a heated legal battle and much public controversy. When Terri died, the doctors confirmed that she had been brain dead all along, from the very night of her collapse 15 years earlier.

If you don't want to share this fate, put your wishes in writing. A living will provides that while you want to be kept as comfortable as possible, you don't want your life artificially extended by machines and heroics.

A living will is only effective if you are in a persistent vegetative state, irreversible coma, or terminally ill and at the very end of life. If you are not in one of these three situations, the living will does not apply.

When you have a living will, not only are your wishes respected, but you remove a great burden from your loved ones. You are making the decision in advance, so that they don't have to.

If you have questions regarding the living will, consult with a qualified estate planning attorney.

Ryan Hicks Cumpton & Cumpton LLP is a leading provider of expert estate planning guidance in Mobile, AL. For more information on terri schiavo and other estate planning services, visit our website.