Why Did Terri Shiavo Need an Advance Health Care Directive?
An Advance Health Care Directive allows you to state whether or not you want your life prolonged. It also allows you to name whom you want to make your other health care decisions if you are unable.
(PRWEB) April 7, 2005 -- Most Americans are familiar with Terri Shiavo and the long, costly and public court battle over whether she will be kept on life support. While it seems everyone has an opinion as to what should happen, there are two facts of which no one can be sure ... what did Terri want? And, whom did she want to make such decisions if she is unable? That is because, Terri, like most Americans, did not do any formal planning to make her desire known in case something like this happened.
An Advance Health Care Directive allows you to state whether or not you want your life prolonged. It also allows you to name whom you want to make your other health care decisions if you are unable. You can also use the Advance Health Care Directive to make other concerns, desire and limitation related to your medical treatment known.
Advance Health Care Directives are recognized by the courts and physicians. It is the best way to make you and not the courts (or congress) make your health care decision, even if you become incapacitated. An Advance Health Care Directive can also provide comfort to whoever is making your medical decisions because your instructions will relieve him or her of having the burden of making such decisions own their own. In addition to avoiding unnecessary intra-family court battles.
In addition to planning for your medical treatment if you become incapacitated, you should consider similar incapacity planning for your financial decisions. To find out more, please see our article titled Why You Need a Power of Attorney at http://www.baconlaw.com/estateplanning/durable-power-attorney.htm.
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