Living Will Directive
A living will is a will made to prevent a doctor or physician from prolonging a person's life through artificial means. Each state has its own living will directive, which is a template for living wills. Most of the words have already been chosen, and the person simply has to fill in the blanks. A living will directive in Tennessee will be different from one in Iowa or Wisconsin. They all serve the same purpose, which is to ask a physician to not artificially prolong a person's life due to a terminal disease.
A living will directive will start with a line that states when and where the directive was made and by whom. The next line is a statement that declares that the person filling out the directive willingly makes known that he or she does not want to have his or her artificially prolonged. Afterward, the directive makes a list of statements giving wishes that a physician must follow.
The first on the list in the living will directive is the primary wish made by the person signing the directive. It states that if the person is diagnosed with an incurable condition that is certified as terminal by two doctors, then he or she does not want to undergo life-sustaining procedures. The next statements simply states that in case the person is not able to make his or her wishes known, then his or her family may make the decision for him or her. The third item on the living will directive is only filled out in case a woman is pregnant. If filled out, then the directive has no effect during the pregnancy.
The fourth statement gives the name of the physician who has diagnosed the condition along with his address and phone number. The last three statements state the number of years to wait until the directive is null and that the person understands the directive. Finally the person filling out the will signs it.
All living will directives are made to do the same thing. The layout of the directives may differ, however, between states. A living will directive in Montana will be different than one in Kansas. The reason is because of different state laws, but the changes in laws are usually at most, superficial. Each state provides its own living will directive template to fill out as well.
A living will is made when a person does not want to have his or her life prolonged by artificial means. There are different statements to be filled out by the person. The name of the physician must also be put on the directive, along with the person's signature. The templates for one of these directives do vary between states, but they are generally the same thing.