Charlotte Allen on "Good Death"

Charlotte Allen, who by the way is a very funny writer even when the subject is depressing, wrote an excellent opinion piece on living wills for the Washington Post this past weekend.

I wholeheartedly agree with her but I would go one step farther, if you are thinking about signing a living will, please visit the National Right to Life homepage at http://www.nrlc.org/ and search for the Will to Live Project. National Right to Life lawyers spent ages constructing these documents so that they conform to the requirements of living wills for each state but with one major difference: the Will to Live makes an assumption for life in its wording. In other words, it assumes you want to live unless you specify instances where you do not want extraordinary measures taken. A living will on the other hand often makes an assumption of death unless you list situations where you want to live. Even so, many states, such as Virginia, allow doctors and hospital ethical committees to override a patient's or family's wishes so be aware of what your state laws are. Even with a advance directive, you may find that your wishes will matter little.