Arizona Laws 36-3262. Sample living will
Any writing that meets the requirements of this article may be used to create a living will. A person may write and use a living will without writing a health care power of attorney or may attach a living will to the person’s health care power of attorney. If a person has a health care power of attorney, the agent must make health care decisions that are consistent with the person’s known desires and that are medically reasonable and appropriate. A person can, but is not required to, state the person’s desires in a living will. The following form is offered as a sample only and does not prevent a person from using other language or another form:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 36-3262
- Agent: means an adult who has the authority to make health care treatment decisions for another person, referred to as the principal, pursuant to a health care power of attorney. See Arizona Laws 36-3201
- Artificially administered: means providing food or fluid through a medically invasive procedure. See Arizona Laws 36-3201
- Comfort care: means treatment given in an attempt to protect and enhance the quality of life without artificially prolonging that life. See Arizona Laws 36-3201
- Health care power of attorney: means a written designation of an agent to make health care decisions that meets the requirements of section 36-3221 and that comes into effect and is durable as provided in section 36-3223, subsection A. See Arizona Laws 36-3201
- Living will: means a statement written either by a person who has not written a health care power of attorney or by the principal as an attachment to a health care power of attorney and intended to guide or control the health care treatment decisions that can be made on that person's behalf. See Arizona Laws 36-3201
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. Source: OCC
- Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215
Living Will
(Some general statements concerning your health care options are outlined below. If you agree with one of the statements, you should initial that statement. Read all of these statements carefully before you initial your selection. You can also write your own statement concerning life-sustaining treatment and other matters relating to your health care. You may initial any combination of paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 but if you initial paragraph 5 the others should not be initialed.)
_____ 1. If I have a terminal condition I do not want my life to be prolonged and I do not want life-sustaining treatment, beyond comfort care, that would serve only to artificially delay the moment of my death.
_____ 2. If I am in a terminal condition or an irreversible coma or a persistent vegetative state that my doctors reasonably feel to be irreversible or incurable, I do want the medical treatment necessary to provide care that would keep me comfortable, but I do not want the following:
_____ (a) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for example, the use of drugs, electric shock and artificial breathing.
_____ (b) Artificially administered food and fluids.
_____ (c) To be taken to a hospital if at all avoidable.
_____ 3. Notwithstanding my other directions, if I am known to be pregnant, I do not want life-sustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn if it is possible that the embryo/fetus will develop to the point of live birth with the continued application of life-sustaining treatment.
_____ 4. Notwithstanding my other directions I do want the use of all medical care necessary to treat my condition until my doctors reasonably conclude that my condition is terminal or is irreversible and incurable or I am in a persistent vegetative state.
_____ 5. I want my life to be prolonged to the greatest extent possible.
Other or Additional Statements of Desires
I have _____ I have not _____ attached additional special provisions or limitations to this document to be honored in the absence of my being able to give health care directions.