Did you know that if a man arrives in a hospital and the doctor is made aware that he has a DNR (do not resuscitate) in his wallet or on file, that if his wife says "resuscitate him," that the doctors are legally obligated to ignore the wishes of his wife and follow his written instructions?
I always thought the doctors were foremost obligated to help someone survive. This is not true, according to Dr X. Instead, doctors are obligated to do as is best determined to be the wishes of the patient.
If the doctors do not like the decisions of the patients, they cannot go against them, yet they can turn the case over to a doctor who is willing to support those decisions.
If you are unfamiliar with the DNR, living wills, and other advanced healthcare directives, see this wikipedia page on the topic: living wills. If you don't make decisions now, you might not be able to make them for yourself later. This is of particular importance to gays and other adults who are not married. If for the married, it relieves the emotional burdens on your spouse and cuts the possibility for guilt, if you have your wishes predetermined.
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Thank you for sharing.