A living will is a legal document that lets a person decide in advance what kind of medical treatment he/she does and does not want if he/she become physically or mentally unable to make decisions or communicate his/her wishes. Also called a Directive to Physicians or Healthcare Directive, it is a type of advance directive. Although a living will is typically used to reject heroic lifesaving measures to prolong life, such as intravenous feeding and mechanical respirators when the patient is dying, it can also be used to request that all available medical treatment be used. A living will can be general or specific, but it is limited because the manner of death cannot be anticipated and medical technology changes rapidly. It is called a living will because it is a will that is used while the person is still alive.

In 1990, the...