Living Will Redux

If nothing else, the Terri Schiavo case reminds us of the need to set our wishes down regarding "extraordinary" measures should we be unable to care for ourselves.

But a living will - and I say this as one who has had one since my 20s when as a hospice volunteer, I saw people in terrible shape, begging to go, being "brought" back - isn't a magic fix. Many hospitals won't recognize them or take them into account far less than other factors like ability to pay, like the Texas baby who was withdrawn from feeding because of a law then Governor George Bush signed into effect.

Your best bet is to find a doctor and a hospital near you who respects the concept of a living will and to openly discuss this with your family and friends. It's a tough subject, yes, but if you don't make your wishes known now, it's going to be hard for people to discern them later.

And even then you could still have men like Tom DeLay and Jeb and George Bush try to take the decision from you. We need to eliminate men like that from our political base.