Home > Family law and couples > The living will

Family law and couples

The living will

More and more people have expressed the desire to not be kept alive by artificial means. These people wish to die with dignity, as nature intended. The idea of a living will is gaining ground. It is a document dated and signed by a person of full age who is of sound mind and who may or may not be physically ill. It indicates the type of medical treatment he would like to receive in his last hours on earth.

The force of this document is strictly moral. In other words, even if it is a good indication of the patient’s wishes, it does not legally bind physicians or hospitals. However, a living will is a very important document and it should be given to your physician and entered into your medical record.

Having a living will made in notarial form will not render it immune from contestation or automatically enforceable, but it will reassure the physician that it is an authentic document and it will help remove any doubts your loved ones may have as to your last wishes.