What is a Tennessee Living Will?
Advanced Health Care Directive in Tennessee
A Living Will Declaration is an advanced directive to your medical service providers as to your decisions regarding artificial life support, and other end of life health care decisions. In the event that you are in a specific terminal condition, and are unconscious and unable to effectively communicate your health care decisions then your “living will” would be presented to your health care providers.
Before executing a living will speak to an attorney. Purple Law Firm’s attorneys are experienced in this practice area.
A Living Will Declaration Evidences Your Instructions and Protects Your Rights
The provisions included in a living will, give clear and convincing evidence of your desires and instructions to your family, physicians, a court, or any other person or facility responsible for your health care so they shall not have to question what you would choose for yourself if you were still able to do so. A living will declaration also helps to relieve guilt feelings of those close to you. This very powerful legal document makes it clear as to your choice of either permitting therapy or treatment to continue or choosing to discontinue therapy which you may perceive as only prolonging your death, not you life.
Although recognizing the social goals, I do not want to diminish the legal aspects of this document. As an individual, you are entitled to the right of self-determination in health care under the constitutional rights to privacy and liberty and the common law right of informed consent in addition to rights granted by Tennessee state statutes. This right is not extinguished by incapacity (like being unconscious, or mentally incompetent). In the event of such incapacity your advanced directive (“living will”) speaks for you.
Learn more about living wills and other estate planning issues contact attorney Jim Purple.
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