Public Service Announcement

The right to determine one's life has attracted a good deal of attention over the past couple of months. I have a fear that I shall end my days plugged into a 13 amp electrical socket like some condom vending machine. From that background I have devised a form of living will. Short but, I think, all encompassing.

I have made this declaration at a time when I am of sound mind and after careful consideration. I understand that my life may be shortened by the refusals of treatment in this form. I accept the risk that I may not be able to change my mind in the future when I am no longer able to speak for myself, and I accept the risk that improving medical technology may offer increased hope, but I personally consider the risk of unwanted treatment to be a greater risk. I want it to be known that I fear degradation and indignity far more than death. I ask my medical attendants to bear this in mind when considering what my intentions would be in any uncertain situation.

If the time comes when I can no longer communicate, this declaration shall be taken as a testament to my wishes regarding medical care.

If it is the opinion of medical care team that there is no reasonable prospect of my recovery from severe physical illness, or from impairment expected to cause me severe distress or render me incapable of rational existence, then I direct that I be allowed to die and not be kept alive by artificial means such as life support systems, tube feeding, antibiotics, resuscitation or blood transfusions: any treatment which has no benefit other than a mere prolongation of my existence should be withheld or withdrawn, even if it means my life is shortened. I already have a Do Not Resuscitate directive in my medical documents and on a MediAlert-type tag that I wear. I accept basic care however and I do request aggressive palliative care, drugs or any other measures to keep me free of pain or distress, even if they shorten my life.

I wish the following person to be consulted in the event of uncertainty about my wishes. My wife, Catherine Norma Wood (nee Robinson)

Written by me, John Samuel WOOD, born 15 August 1933. http://snipurl.com/kyyi

There may be some who think they would find comfort in this sort of thing but have shrunk from the sort of soul search that goes with it. Feel free to copy. There may also be readers who can find a potential problem with the wording - comment away please.