Slow Down with Those "Living Wills"

From LifeDate - Summer 2005

Slow Down with Those “Living Wills”
by Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb

People disagreed about Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube. People disagreed about the involvement of Congress in the Schiavo case. But both articles and editorials that disagreed and those that agreed all seem to end the same way. “What can you do to protect yourself in a similar situation? Get a living will.” The rush is on for living wills.

Slow down! Know what you are signing. The term “living will” is being used so much that it has become synonymous with “advance directive.” So slow down and understand that a living will is a type of advance directive, but it is not the only advance directive. The other major type of advance directive is the “Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.” There are major differences between these two advance directives.

A living will is a directive that indicates what kind of medical treatment you may or may not want should you be unable to make such decisions in the future. The typical state-sanctioned living will directs your “attending physician” to make such decisions. Your attending physician is whoever might be treating you at the time and may not be your family doctor who knows you and your values. These living wills also use language that is open to a variety of interpretations. Thus a living will gives authority to make life and death decisions to someone you may not even know using language that could result in a decision you did not intend.

This is why we shudder when we keep reading about all the advice to get a living will. That is why we are saying slow down!

Certainly a Christian may have an advance directive. An acceptable alternative to the living will is the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC). In this document you designate someone you trust to make health care decisions if you are unable to do so. You may designate more than one person. These would be people who know you and with whom you have discussed your wishes. In your DPAHC you may give specific instructions, but it is best not to be too specific. It is impossible to anticipate every situation and what you may or may not want.

Slow down! Take time to know the kind of advance directive you are going to sign. If you have already signed a living will you can simply tear it up as well as any copies you may have given to others. Since there are good DPAHC documents available from other sources, Lutherans For Life does not produce one. We do recommend the following (all forms include detailed instructions):

1. The Protective Medical Decisions Document

International Task Force
P.O. Box 760

Steubenville, OH 43952
740-282-3810

www.internationaltaskforce.org

An $8.00 donation is requested to cover postage and handling.

2. Will to Live

Will to Live Project
National Right to Life Committee
512 10th Street NW

Washington, DC 20004
202-626-8800

NRLC@nrlc.org

www.nrlc.org/euthanasia/willtolive

3. Durable Power of Attorney: Christian Version

Christian Life Resources
2949 N. Mayfair Road - Suite 309
Milwaukee, WI 53222-4304
414-774-1331

www.christianliferesources.com

We highly recommend that you consult an attorney when preparing any DPAHC to make sure the language meets all the legal requirements.