# Do you have a living will? If yes, what are its terms? If not, what the heck not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705 "2007-10-31T13:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/1 "2007-10-31T13:44:24Z")
I believe the thread title is sufficiently clear as to render much text redundant. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/2 "2007-10-31T14:01:55Z")
No. We haven’t gotten around to it. And my company provides as one of it’s benefits, a free lawyer for doing wills. I’m just lazy. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/3 "2007-10-31T15:10:03Z")
I do. Basically it says if I am going to be a vegetable - pull the plug. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/4 "2007-10-31T15:46:09Z")
No. Laziness on my part. My husband is too paranoid - like my mother (probably the only thing they’ve ever agreed on!), he believes that the doctors won’t try as hard to save him if he has one. Same with being down as an organ donor. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/5 "2007-10-31T15:48:53Z")
No, because I’m lazy. I have all the materials because my bro had the heart attack last year and I wanted to be sure I don’t get put on life support. For now I am hoping my parents would be available and they know I don’t want anything extraordinary. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/6 "2007-10-31T16:27:16Z")
Yes. Mr.stretch, our three adult children, and I each have medical durable Power of Attorney, as recommended by the state attorney general. We got these because of the HIPAA rules…it was becoming impossible for me to call the insurance company and ask them what the hell I was being billed for without a dPoA giving me permission to ask questions. I talked with each of the kids, found out preferences for heroic measures, and had them do the dPoA with me as the agent. Now I am assured of being able to talk to doctors about what to do if any of them happen to be unable to make decisions. I hope to never have to use them for that. I use mr.stretch’s dPoA all the time, to talk to his doctors, the insurance company, and the pharmacy. With the dPoA, aka an Advance Directive, filed at the insurance company specifically giving them permission to discuss mr.stretch’s issues they can no longer give me a hard time. It must drive the CSRs nuts when they tell me they can’t talk to me because of HIPAA and I tell them to check the file for the Advance Directive. I can almost hear them gnash their teeth. Mr.stretch and I do not share the same beliefs on heroic measures. At his request, I will keep him alive as long as there is any possibility that he might know what is going on (which seems contradictory given his suicidal ideation, but people are complicated.) Mr.stretch, and my kids as backup because mr.stretch is a sentimental fool and I know he’ll need support, have been instructed to put me down if my quality of life will suffer. I believe in euthanasia for all animals, but especially for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/7 "2007-10-31T16:40:34Z")
Sure. Me and the missus both wrote them up years ago, and are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to pull each other’s plug. IIRC, in Illinois there is some standard language in the state statutes. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/8 "2007-10-31T17:06:48Z")
No, 'cause I’m a procrastinator. But it will state to pull the plug if there’s no hope of a sufficient recovery from whatever ails me. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/9 "2007-10-31T19:09:19Z")
I have the living will and DPOA filled out. I just need a couple of witnesses to finish it off, so to speak. I did my Advance Directive years ago and had it notarized and copies sent to various people. I do not want to be kept alive with any heroic measures, machines and so forth. I want the plug pulled. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/10 "2007-10-31T19:56:07Z")
No, because I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I just had a thread that touched on this subject in GQ, about a doctor who seemed to look at written and verbal patient care instructions as obstacles to overcome, rather than guidelines to follow. It was like working with House. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-living-will-if-yes-what-are-its-terms-if-not-what-the-heck-not/424705/11 "2007-10-31T21:00:33Z")
I do. Basically it says if I am going to be a vegetable - pull the plug. (OK, I copy and pasted). I’ve also made sure my family members a) know that those are my wishes (in the presence of numerous witnesses) b) have copies of my ‘pull the plug’ papers c) know who the authorized plug pullers are.