Submitted by notold on Sat, 06/19/2010 - 07:17
Posted in
I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but most of the healthcare proxy and living will questions seem to be here, so here goes. I read an article recently about a controversy surrounding a case where a husband kept his wife alive on life support until their baby was viable. The baby was born, and the mother was taken off the life support. To me, this seems like an easy issue: Why not? But others were up in arms about it. Got me thinking about whether I should change my healthcare proxy or living will if I get pregnant. My husband, who is my healthcare agent, would know what I want, but maybe the documents would give him cover if other family members objected. Any thoughts?
Editor's Response
Wow, great question. For those who are not clear on the distinction between the two documents, follow this link for some information about living wills and healthcare proxies in MA. Although living wills are not statutorily recognized in Massachusetts, they are very helpful documents because, among other things, as you correctly point out they can make your agent's job easier by making your wishes known to any and all who are allowed to read the document. So, in short, I think your idea is excellent. Perhaps all women of child bearing age who draft and execute a living will should spell out their wishes on this subject. Sure, it's a long shot that something so catastrophic will happen during a pregnancy, but good planning considers such long shots. Good luck.