Living Will
Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do I use your site to form my Living Will ("LW")?

Answer: It's simple. Click on the Living Will button on the left. From there, you will be guided through the easy process of providing the information we need to prepare your document. After you've entered all your information, you will be asked to review and confirm a summary of that information--just to make sure it's correct--before we use it to build your LW. After you confirm the data is correctly entered, you pay $8.95 for the LW using your credit card. Finally, you are taken to a page where you can print the entire document. If at any time you have questions or a problem during the short process, just call us or send an email using our contact us page.

Question: What's the difference between a LW and an advance health care directive?

Answer: Nothing. They're synonymous terms. Each state has drafted its own version of the document and some states choose to call these documents advanced health care directives. The title of the document is irrelevant; what matters is what the document says.

Question: What's the difference between a LW and a health care power of attorney?

Answer: The primary purpose of a LW is to authorize your doctor to "pull the plug" on you if you are terminally ill, unable to communicate, and being kept alive with intravenous food and water. Each state's LW form states this basic premise differently, but that is nevertheless the core function of the LW. The medical or health care power of attorney, on the other hand, can be for use in a broader set of circumstances. Imagine, for example, that you have been in an automobile accident and you are unconscious, but not terminally ill. Your physician may wish to discuss with you the risks of certain treatment alternatives, but you are not able to respond. By appointing a health care agent or power of attorney, you authorize another person to discuss your condition with you doctor and approve or disapprove certain medical procedures.

Many states have chosen for whatever reason to integrate the LW and health care power of attorney into one document. If you are prompted to enter the name of an "agent" while creating a LW on this site, it is because the state you selected has integrated the health care power of attorney and LW.

Answer: Yes. As discussed above, nearly every state has already approved specific wording for living wills to be used in those states. Some states allow you to completely change the wording they suggest; other states warn that your living will must be nearly identical to the wording of the form they have approved. But regardless of the wording of your living will, ALL states have strict signature and witness requirements. Running afoul of those requirements could easily invalidate your living will. All of our forms are guaranteed to comply with the law of your state. You simply WILL NOT find this guarantee on any other web site selling living wills because other web sites haven't researched the living will requirements of every single state as we have.

Answer: Almost every state has approved specific wording for living wills, and the wording varies from state to state. Generally, however, the living will or advance health care directive says that the person signing the document does not wish to be kept alive by artificial means such as a respirator or intravenous feedings if that person is a) terminally ill and permanently unconscious or b) just permanently unconscious (as in the case of a coma.) The living wills usually have safeguards to protect you, such as having two doctors certify in writing that you are permanently unconscious in their opinion. The living wills also usually say that although you don't want to be kept alive artificially, you do want to receive medication that will ease your pain or discomfort. Many living will forms allow you to place your initials next to various alternatives, insuring that your living will says what you believe.

Answer: Living wills have become indispensable end-of-life documents because modern medicine has become very adept at keeping the human body alive long after the quality of life has dramatically decreased. As many people know and personally fear, a doctor armed with all the latest technology can and usually will keep a patient alive long after that person has the ability to communicate his or her desire to be separated from the respirators, intravenous feeders and other mechanical life-sustaining measures.

Question: Why Would a Physician Keep a Permanently Unconscious Person Alive Indefinitely?

Answer: Doctors are trained to keep people alive; it is the purpose of their profession. Indeed, the medical professionals' Hippocratic Oath requires them to preserve the sanctity of life. Consequently, removing life support from a patient generally goes against a doctor's training, instincts and experience. Even doctors who personally believe that a terminally ill and/or vegetative patient should be permitted to die may be wary about removing life support because of the potential legal liability. By drafting a valid living will, you can arm your physician with the legal protection he or she needs to honor your wishes.

Answer: When considering whether to sign a living will, one factor to strongly consider is the exorbitant cost of keeping a human body alive. Long after you brain has ceased all functions that make you who you are, your body may continue to subsist indefinitely on modern life support systems. The cost of this medical treatment can be outrageous, and many people believe it is a wholly unnecessary because for all practical purposes the patient has already died.

Question: When Do I Really Need To Write a Living Will Document?

Answer: Everyone--even the young--should write a living will and place a copy in his or her medical file. The unfortunate reality is that everyone faces the risk of a devastating injury or illness which can lead to permanent unconsciousness. The best time to write the living will is long before the onset of injury or illness, while you have the unquestioned mental capacity to express you desires strongly and clearly in a written document that is difficult to challenge. Keep in mind that you can change your mind and your Living Will at any time UNTIL you become incapacitated. After that, it's too late.