Replies

I sent this letter to Florida lawmakers last week:

"Sir/ Ma'am; I went to the site recommended by the state of Florida for Living Wills. But I noticed that the Living Will sited there states only that no extra efforts be made to preserve or prolong life. What if a person wants life prolonging efforts?

"I have heard many people say that this issue about Terri Schiavo could have been avoided if she had filled out a Living Will. Be if she didn't want medical care discontinued, why would she have filled out a Living Will form?

"There seems to be a catch 22. Terri didn't fill out a Living Will because she didn't want her medical treatment discontinued. Yet, because she didn't fill out a Living Will, the state assumes she doesn't want life support.

"Is there a recommended form for residents of Florida to fill out to state that they DO want medical treatment continued?"

Arnold Cooperman was nice enough to respond:

I agree with you that the primary thrust of the Living Will is to discontinue medical treatment in certain situations. However, the Living Will form in Florida Statutes section 765.303 does provide options. You can choose not to have life-prolonging procedures if you have a terminal condition, or are in an end-stage condition, or are in a persistent vegetative state. By not choosing any of these you are choosing to continue life-prolonging procedures in those situations. In addition, the form allows you to provide additional instructions. I assume you could make it clear there that you do want life-prolonging procedures to continue.

To which I responded: "unless a guardian tells a judge otherwise.............."

Then I highlighted, repeated and enlarged the line from Cooperman's letter: By not choosing any of these you are choosing to continue life-prolonging procedures in those situations.

and I signed off with a copy of the last line of his letter "I assume you could make it clear there that you do want life-prolonging procedures to continue. " and When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME.