The importance of making a living will has been getting a lot of publicity after the husband for a pregnant Texas woman, brain dead for almost two months, began his fight to end life support despite the pregnancy. Texas law arguably prohibits ending life support for a person who is pregnant. But what does Florida law say?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Florida Statutes Section 765.113 requires that a person EXPLICITLY state that they do not want life-prolonging procedures if their child is not yet viable.
A "blanket" living will designating a surrogate to make decisions on your behalf might not be enough. If you want to ensure that your wishes are followed, you need to explicitly state in your living will that you do not want medical staff to keep you on life-prolonging machines and techniques to bring your child to viability.
It also is a good idea to include an explicit statement if you DO want life-prolonging measures taken to save the baby even if you will not be able to be revived.
No comments:
Post a Comment