Living wills remove the burden of life-or-death decision

April 3, 2005

Frontiersman editorial board

The battle for Terri Schiavo's life closed Thursday morning. The Florida woman, who has depended on a feeding tube for nourishment since 1990, died 13 days after the tube was removed.

The decision to remove the tube was made by her husband, who said he was only honoring his wife's wishes. The actual removal was years in the making, despite the husband's status as Schiavo's legal guardian, because her parents won repeated delays while they appealed and re-appealed her case to state and federal courts.

Schiavo's case has gained national attention largely through the intervention of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who sided with her parents in their attempts to prolong her life. Along the way, as the case bounced from court to court, the Florida Legislature, U.S. Congress and even President George W. Bush took up the issue. Its evolution from something intensely personal to a full-blown media circus was ensured when TV news analysts and talk-radio hosts, often disregarding the facts of the case, made it their cause du jour.

Through it all, one point remains painfully obvious - the death of this woman is a tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. But the circumstances of her death, irrespective of its public nature and the controversy over it, are reminders to many of similarly difficult times in their own families.

It is a great irony of our humanity that while we are probably singular among God's creatures in possessing the knowledge of our own eventual demise, we are loath to discuss it with our loved ones.

Many in the community have faced the decision of life or death for a loved one on life support. It is never easy to say goodbye. And it is even harder to consider the value and quality of a life while incapacitated by grief. The easiest way to avoid placing loved ones in this painful position is to file a living will and discuss your intentions with family, friends and physicians.

It is surprisingly easy to find and prepare a living will. Yet according to a Providence Health System official, only 20 percent of patients who end up needing someone else to make life-or-death decisions have planned ahead for the possibility.

Anyone wishing to prepare a living will of their own may do so through a local attorney or health-care worker. Additionally, Valley Hospital and its Hospice of Mat-Su can both assist in the preparation of a living will. There is also a wealth of information, including forms and preparation advice, available online.

We may feel morbid preparing for death. But the benefit of such planning cannot be overstated. It is our hope that out of the tragedy of Terri Schiavo's death, a greater awareness of the importance of living wills will be born. Those who haven't prepared one should take the step to ensure their own loved ones are never faced with the burden - and guilt - of having to choose life or death for them.

On the Net: www.legacywriter.com/livingwill_home.html, www.legalzoom.com/livingwills/index3.html.