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There would be no problem if your wife takes the time to make a living will and state that she agrees under these circumstances to be dehydrated and starved.

Some husbands, and Michael was an estranged husband with a mistress, have serious conflicts of interest and should not be appointed guardians. Take the van Klaus case, he was removed as her guardian and replaced with her children.

In this day and age, a wife is not the property of her husband and where there is even a suspicion of attempted murder (van Klaus's conviction was overturned or was it that another jury disagreed?)

In Terri's case, Michael was caught in numerous lies, did not act in her best interest, and showed his sadistic nature by, among many others misdeeds, not wanting her parents to know where she is buried.

There would be no problem if your wife takes the time to make a living will and state that she agrees under these circumstances to be dehydrated and starved.

"conservatives" want to limit the power of the marriage contract. And yet they also accuse the liberals of attacking marriage!

Some husbands, and Michael was an estranged husband with a mistress, have serious conflicts of interest and should not be appointed guardians.

My wife goes into a PVS and for a few years we see what we can do. We give up but now I can't legally pull the tube (even though she told me she wanted me to) because her family and a bunch of "conservatives" decide otherwise. This goes on for a long time. Five years after the accident and maybe two years after when I would have originally pulled the plug I start a new family. 10 years after accident people say that I'm not even her husband anymore and should give up my spousal rights to her family.

A Living Will typically specifies the medical efforts you DON'T want .. and those can be executed even if the patient becomes coherent and changes their mind. It's also called a DNR order .. do not rescusitate. Well, what if your situation can be corrected and you can survive in acceptable health BY rescusitation in some quirky medical crisis?

Better the Will to Live, which focuses on saving your life, if that's medically possible, as the FIRST priority, with your medical proxy/guardian named whom you've briefed on your wishes.

Overworked, fatigued, overly bureaucratized, and underbudgeted medical staff in hospitals can allow you die very easily these days with that signed DNR form in their hands. And when being nourished and hydrated by a tube (even if temporarily, which is prescribed in several acute ailments) is being construed by so many states now as "artificial life support" OR "medical treatment," you can see how easily a medical staff could allow someone to die who could be saved if they have that signed form.

None of us knows if or what situation could provoke our admittance to a hospital for an acute or temporary situation .. think very hard about your medical directives and how they could be interpreted at the time of crisis. By all means, inform your family IN DETAIL of your wishes, and choose a medical proxy who will fight for you, if they have to. They may have to.

WHEN THERE'S DOUBT, ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF