RE: Removing treatment by democratic consensus as default (living wills)
October 5, 2022 at 4:17 pm
(This post was last modified: October 5, 2022 at 5:12 pm by arewethereyet.)
Dad had a living will...all paperwork in order and the doctors had all been advised. He still had his wits about him when he refused any further treatment other than an attempt at pain control.
I still had to sit with the doctor in charge and tell him that's what dad wanted.
When it's in writing, by a person who is of sound mind at the time of the writing, that should be that.
Not having a living will and ending up in a life-threatening situation the decision passes to the family or person with medical power of attorney (who could be the same person).
This is a case-by-case thing and doesn't need a sweeping law that can be misinterpreted by medical professionals.
Let those closest to you know what you want - in the event - and inform your doctor too. Get whatever legal docs make it easier to enforce depending on where you live.
I still had to sit with the doctor in charge and tell him that's what dad wanted.
When it's in writing, by a person who is of sound mind at the time of the writing, that should be that.
Not having a living will and ending up in a life-threatening situation the decision passes to the family or person with medical power of attorney (who could be the same person).
This is a case-by-case thing and doesn't need a sweeping law that can be misinterpreted by medical professionals.
Let those closest to you know what you want - in the event - and inform your doctor too. Get whatever legal docs make it easier to enforce depending on where you live.