Just recently, a few days back, I had read this beautiful book "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks. The book is about love and belief. I don't want to be a spoiler by writing down the story, but in the story there is a situation where a legal "Living Will" is mentioned. It left me pondering and evaluating the possibilities of having a living will for myself.
A living will usually provides specific directives about the course of treatment that is to be followed by health care providers and/or caregivers in a situation when the person in consideration is physically and mentally incapable to decide for himself/ herself.
In some cases a living will may forbid the use of various kinds of burdensome medical treatment. It may also be used to express wishes about the use or foregoing of food and water, if supplied via tubes or other medical devices. The living will is only used if the individual has become unable to give informed consent or refusal due to incapacity. A living will can be very specific or very general.
An example of a statement sometimes found in a living will is: “If I suffer an incurable, irreversible illness, disease, or condition and my attending physician determines that my condition is terminal, I direct that life-sustaining measures that would serve only to prolong my dying be withheld or discontinued.”
Lot of people think that a 'Living Will' is same as 'Euthanasia' or 'Mercy killing'. Technically it is not. Instead, while we are still healthy and in control of our minds, a ‘living will’ could allow us to decide what should happen to us, in case we are ever fatally ill. More specifically, we could consent to or reject various forms of life support. We could choose what is often called a ‘natural death’. It is said that 'Living will' is almost the equivalent of Passive or Non-active euthanasia. (There are 3 types of Euthanasia - Passive, Non-active, Active. I feel euthanasia is altogether a different controversial topic to discuss, and I would discuss it another time.)
On July28, 2009, US President Barack Obama was the first President to publicly announce that he has a living will, and encouraged others to do so. A living will is very common in the US, but it still hasn't been given a legal status in India. There are many complications linked to it. Medically and technologically though we have progressed, emotionally we still would not be willing to do this to our loved ones. Coz we believe that whether old or ill, it is our responsibility to care for them. But again a contradicting question to it, would we want to see our loved ones in pain not able to express their anguish, distress and helplessness? I am sure no one wants to be a burden on their loved ones, rather would prefer dying with dignity and peace, but on the other hand to think of it, aren't we giving up on life because we don't want to fight? Isn't it cowardice? (a serious question to ponder...)
Another very important point to consider is, do we trust our doctors, healthcare specialists to be entrusted with such a vital decision of our life? In a scenario where we find doctors and medical practitioners minting money in the name of such a noble profession, can we give our life's decision in their hands in a situation where we are incapable of deciding? Also, if not the doctors, if we entrust our lives in the hands of our near and dear ones (caregivers), what if they make the decision to pull us off the plug when we are actually struggling and wanting to recover and live, but can't express? Imagine if we have a change of mind/ will at the last minute and not being able to express our desire to live, whereas our caregivers are unwillingly following our living will?
I really can't say much for myself, as to which side I am on. At some point in life we have all felt the heartbreak watching someone we love grow old. And as we see them struggling to live, breath... even the sceptics/ atheists among us cling on to prayers to give them one more decade, year, month, week. We are shaken up to the extent that each night we go to sleep with prayers and whisper to ourselves to let them see the next day's sunrise. And when we wake up to see them alive, we are grateful.
Death is invincible. But what if life in itself leaves us feeling powerless? Imagine someone you care and love living the rest of their life strapped onto artificial respirators, feed tubes and pipes. Can we possibly guess what would be our reaction if it happens to one of us? When our body stops responding to our brains, when some fatal disease/ accidents sucks out our 'life' and merely leaves us being a 'vegetable'? Will we decide then that death may well be an act of kindness?
All that I wrote is just a discussion, since it is a highly controversial topic and I myself am on the divide still trying to figure out which is the right side. I'd like to know your feedback/ opinion as well, coz somehow although it is a controversial topic and legally and ethically forbidden... its something to be pondered upon!
Till then.... Happy living and loving :)
