Living Wills

The term living will is somewhat misleading, as it has nothing to do with personal property or assets. Living wills are documents that outline a person's health care wishes in case of a severe injury or illness. They've become increasingly popular over the years as medical technology has achieved the ability to keep terminal patients alive for indefinite periods of time.

As with a last will and testament, the laws that govern living wills vary from state to state, and it's important that they're drafted with this in mind. The terms for life-threatening conditions are very specific, so a great deal of time should be invested in researching them. If not, the will can be challenged by family members who want to see their loved one kept alive at any cost.

Living wills have become very popular in recent years.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Living wills have become very popular in recent years.

Living wills are required to be signed and witnessed, and a power of attorney is commonly included in case the terms of injury or illness aren't covered. In this case, the person designated power of attorney, typically a spouse or parent, has the right to decide whether or not to keep their loved one alive or to "pull the plug." Many people don't wish to be kept alive by artificial means at the monetary expense and mental anguish of their families. Many people would prefer to be kept alive no matter what. In either case, it's very important that you draft a living will so your wishes are honored. There are simple DIY forms on the Internet for each state that can be filed for little cost. You can read more about living wills in the HowStuffWorks article How a Living Will Works.

The Case of Terri Schiavo
The most famous "right to die" case in the United States was that of a Florida woman named Terri Schiavo. After suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest at the age of 26, she lived in a persistent vegetative state for eight years before her husband petitioned the courts to have her feeding tubes removed to allow her to pass away. Her parents disagreed, and the case worked its way through the Florida court of appeals for years,­ eventually reaching the United States Congress.

The Schiavo case became a political firestorm, with both the left and right arguing their cases for the right to die or to be kept alive. Appeals were made, arguments were heard and emergency laws were passed to try and block the removal of her tube. She was moved back and forth from hospice to hospital and had her feeding tube removed and reinserted numerous times.

Schiavo had no living will, so it was left up to the courts to rule whether or not she would have wanted to be kept alive by a machine. After seven long years of litigation and court battles, Terri Schiavo's feeding tubes were removed for good, and she passed away in March of 2005 with her husband Michael by her side [source: CNN]. Her case sparked a massive increase in the drafting of living wills.

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In the next section, we'll take a look at some of the most famous and outrageous wills people have made.