ArticlesReader.com Menu
Newest Articles
Most Viewed Articles
ArticlesReader.com RSS
Submit Article
Login
Signup
Search the articles

Articles Main Categories
Advice
Animals
Automobiles
Business
Career
Communications
Computer Programming
Computers
Entertainment
Environment
Family
Fashion
Finance
Food
Health & Medical
Home & Garden
Humor
Internet Business
Internet Marketing
Legal
Leisure & Recreation
Marketing
Other
Politics
Reference & Education
Religion
Self Improvement
Sports
Technology & Science
Travel
Writing
Subscribe
Receive alert message from us when new articles submitted to our site for free.

Enter your name

Enter your email

Syndicate

















Related Products
Home::Legal

Everyone Should Have A Living Will

Author : David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
According to information provided by http://www.plan-my-estate.com" target="noframes">http://www.plan-my-estate.com">http://www.plan-my-estate.com an an estate planning and asset protection resource web site, a living will, known in most states as a Directive to Physicians or Healthcare Directive, sets out your wishes about what extended medical treatment should be withheld or provided if you become unable to communicate those wishes. The directive creates a contract with the attending doctor. Once the doctor receives a properly signed and witnessed directive, he or she is under a duty either to honor its instructions or to make sure you are transferred to the care of another doctor who will.



There is an old saying, "nothing is sure in life except death and taxes". Whether you like it or not, someday you will die. How you die and how it effects the people you leave behind can be affected by whether or not you have a living will.



Say you feel that if you develop an inevitably fatal illness, you do not want any extreme measures taken to prolong your suffering or to cause you additional suffering or loss of dignity while you are dying. Say you have a massive stroke and end up in a coma and according to the doctors you are brain dead or completely unresponsive. You are being kept alive by a bunch of machines and tubes. Now say you had previously told someone, your spouse, one of your children or a parent, that you did not want to be kept alive by extreme measures. That person tells the doctor that you would not want to be kept alive by a machine, however, another family member, who can not take the thought of your dying, tells the doctor that you wanted to be kept alive by any means possible. Now, there is a problem. Remember the seven (7) year court battle over Terri Schiavo.



Both family members love you and both want to do what is best, however they disagree and end up causing great emotional distress to each other and to other people who love you, as well as forcing you to be kept ailve against your wishes while the matter is being settled, and as well as running up considerable medical and legal expenses that have to be paid by someone. None of this would have taken place had you taked the time to have a living will prepared.



Conversely, say that you would like to receive all medical treatment that is available, no matter what. Since you can not speak for yourself, your spouse or a loved one, not knowing your wishes and who believes in dying with dignity, tells the doctor to turn off the machines and let you die. No one else knows what you wanted so the machines are turned off and you die. Had you taken the time to have a living will prepared they would have tried to keep you alive.



The foregoing examples are very black and white and most incidences will vary in various shades of grey, however I hope that you will understand the point that I am trying to get across.



Note: I am not an attorney or a doctor and none of the foregoing should be construed as legal or medical advice. This article is written strictly as my opinion based on life experiences through both my personal life and my work as a private investigator when investigating family disputes. As in all matters of law you should always consult an attorney before taking on any legal endeavor.



Whether you are married, single, young, old, healthy or ill, a living will is an inexpensive way of insuring that your wishes are carried out in the event that something untoward happens. It could also spare your loved ones the emotional distress of being forced to make such an important decision for you.
About the Author

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and currently publishes several internet directories including http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com" target=noframes">http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com">http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com a legal and lifestyle resources directory for attorneys, lawyers and the internet public.

Spam emails More free articles

Related articles


  1. Litigation Funding Is Here To Stay
  2. Why Probate?
  3. Deeds of Variation - Are They Justified?
  4. School Bus Mishaps
  5. Cases Involving Defective Products
  6. You and the Tort Law: A Guide
  7. What To Do If Your Disability Case is Denied
  8. Quadriplegia: Victims Seeking Legal Help
  9. Injuries Sustained from Accidents on Boats
  10. Set Aside Foreclosure and Decree and Motion for New Trial
  11. Contesting a Will or a Trust. Can it Be Done?
  12. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Basics
  13. The Revokable Trust: Is it Really Revocable?
  14. Innovators: How To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality
  15. How to Patent Your Invention
  16. Virginia Workers Compensation for the Injured Worker
  17. The Secret To Protecting Your Business Assets
  18. Resolve Disputes With Your Partners Before They Happen
  19. The Business of Identity Theft
  20. How to Respond After Identity Theft Occurs
  21. Five Steps To Full Compensation For Your Personal Injury Claim
  22. Why Even A Simple Contract Can Save Your Bacon
  23. Information Linking Vioxx to Workers Compensation
  24. Workers Compensation - Know Your Rights
  25. Why Your Business Needs a Dispute Resolution Procedure
More related feeds
BBC NEWS | The Reporters | Robert Peston
The goverment should formally nationalize the banking system fully, how would t make any difference to what we have now where it is ostly nationalized anyway. We need a good kicking from the IMF, drastic drops in standard of living, ...

MyDD :: Me against Me, Living with or against Fibromyalgia
So, there it is, that's my missive tonight that really is a personal rant and something that probably should stay in draft mode, but being the self abusive person I am, I share those things that others may not. I hope that if I can have ...

The World Newser
Congress should stop the bailouts now, cut taxes to the minimum on everyone,on every business and if the government needs cash let them run the deficit on their end and leave the rest of us alone - if we have money we will spend it ...

Why Government Should Meddle in Broadband - GigaOM
I am of the the belief that broadband is more like water or electricity in that everyone should have access to it, but as a homeowner looking at a $5000 (or $10000) cost [...] 16 comments so far. December 3rd, 2008 6:48 PM PT ...

Questioning the rodeo queens - Las Vegas Sun
A: “I’m an American as we all are and I love to support American products and I feel that offshore drilling should be in America and we should drill here because we have so much of it.” – Miss Rodeo Oklahoma, Kristin Killion ...

Matthew Yglesias » Ways to Help
... and have people keep living in the homes they currently live in and keep making payments of some sort. The alternative will create vast tracts of vacant homes and drastically reduce the quality of life of everyone who doesn’t get ...

Pajamas Media » Yes, Virginia, There Is Obama Derangement Syndrome
will you deny that the president has an illegal aunt living in the US? She has deportation orders until he `pardons’ her. everybody has to fill out an I9 form and prove their citizenship, why should Obama be any different? ...

Fixing Spirit, Part Three « Critical QQ
Warlocks have a very similar mechanic via Life Tap. Life Tap interrupts DPS cycles, and if the warlock isn’t going to get a heal, will need to drop into a regeneration cycle to restore those hit points (bandage, Drain Life, whatever). ...

HRC Realizes After the Fact That They Maybe Should Have Endorsed ...
It's no surprise that she's on everybody's short list for Labor Secretary. Even Rep. David Bonior, whose also been put in the running for the job thinks she should get it. Many AFL-CIO leaders agree. But guess which prominent gay rights ...

David Kirby: The Pentagon -- A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism?
When it comes to fighting autism, maybe we should send in the Army. Autism and the military have a deep history together. Children of service members are reportedly almost twice as likely to have aut... When it comes to fighting autism, ...

 


 

2007 articlesreader.com - All Rights Reserved