Most people remember the Terri Shiavo situation down in Florida where there was a fight to see who would make medical decisions for an incapacitated woman. If you remember, Schiavo suffered a seizure in 1990 that left her in a persistent vegetative state, kept alive only by a feeding tube. Ms. Schiavo had no living will. Eight years later, Ms. Schiavo’s husband asked the court for permission to have the tube disconnected. Her family fought him, claiming that there was a chance for recovery. Well, there may be another similar situation happening according to the Palm Beach Post.
Karen Weber, apparently did not have a living will when she suffered a seizure in November of last year. In this case, the courts have not ruled on Ms. Weber’s condition; she is paralyzed but breathes on her own. Her husband believes that his wife did not and would not want her life prolonged artificially, but again, there is not advanced directives laying this out.
To read the story, click here.
If the Shiavo case was not lesson enough, here is another example where completing your advanced directives is a necessary estate planning step to protect your wishes and keep yourself out of the court system.
To learn more about the Shiavo cases, click here.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Karen’s case is a bit different than Terri’s in that she has several people unreleated to her that have sworn affidavits that indicate she communicated to them via eye blinks or hand squeezes that she does not want to have her tube removed or be sent to hospice.
I agree that we should all practice due dilligence in our estate planning but Karen has made her desires known to at least a few people.
OC
http://offensivechristians.com
July 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I don’t have all the details, but defiantly the point we can agree on is “that we should all practice due diligence in our estate planning.” It should not get to the point where other people need to step in to affirm or argue a persons wishes. It should be done ahead of time.