Living Will Resources

Florida's

Terri Schiavo case

has highlighted the need to make important end-of-life decisions and discuss your choices with your family before it is too late. Use this guide to find appropriate forms for your state, think about the spiritual issues involved in creating a living will, and find out what your religion says about end-of-life issues.

Planning Forms & Resources

State-by-State Documents

Download the appropriate forms and background information you'll need to complete an advance directive in your state.

Tools for Advance Planning

A Consumer's Tool Kit for Advance Planning from the American Bar Association. Includes questions to ask yourself about your spiritual life to help you prepare an advance directive.

Basic Guide to Health Care Directives

Details the main topics to cover in a health care directive and offers advice on the power of attorney.

Decision-Making Resources

The "Death with Dignity" section of Growth House's website offers information on many end-of-life issues, including palliative nutrition and hydration, pain management, hospice care, withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, and more.

The U.S. Living Will Registry

Electronically stores advance directives and makes them available to health care providers.

Multifaith Resources

Taking a Spiritual Inventory

Bill Moyers' "On Our Own Terms" website offers a list of spiritual questions to ask yourself to help you guide your end-of-life decision-making.

Religious Guidance for End-of-Life Decisions

ElderWeb offers suggested books and other resources for Catholics, Mormons, Jews, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Muslims, and members of the United Church of Christ.

Christian

Advanced Directives for Christians

The Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention published this conservative guide to advance directives and living wills. Explains problems with living wills and interprets them according to biblical principles.

Catholic Declaration on Life and Death

The Florida Catholic Conference provides an advance directive form and background information from a Catholic perspective.

Official Catholic Teaching

Teaching on assited suicide & euthanasia, excerpted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Presbyterian Statement

An overture presented at the Presbyterian Church (USA) 1998 General Assembly, but never formally approved. The statement affirms "the right of self-determination for the terminally ill."

An Evangelical Critique of Advance Directives

From the Journal of Biblical Medical Ethics.

Jewish

Halachic Living Wills

The Jewish Law website compiles halachic (Jewish legal) living will forms for many states.

The Right to Die in Jewish Law

Reviews Jewish law on euthanasia and explains "most rabbinical authorities... have sanctioned the patient's right to decline treatment provided a number of very specific conditions were met."

Understanding Living Wills

Resources from a Jewish nursing home.

Muslim

Writing a Muslim Living Will

Guide for writing a living will from a Muslim perspective.

Islamic Beliefs Affecting Healthcare

Basics of Muslim beliefs about end of life and medical intervention.

Hindu

Living Will Info from the Hindu Heritage Endowment

Basic information about advance directives. Also offers a Hindu contact who can address specific questions.

Hindu Doctors on Euthanasia

Hinduism Today interviewed Hindu swamis and doctors about euthanasia in the Hindu tradition.

Hinduism on Euthanasia

The Hindu view of euthanasia and suicide, from the BBC website.

Buddhist

Buddhism & Euthanasia

The Buddhist view of euthanasia and suicide, from the BBC website.