Organ Donation & Living Wills

If you die in a U.S. hospital under medically suitable conditions, you will be considered for organ donation. Whether you want to donate or specifically want not to, it's important to have considered your feelings, discussed them with your loved ones and preferably recorded them in writing, such as in your living will.

Advance Directives

• A living will, or advance medical directive, specifies the treatment you wish to receive should your condition be incurable and you are unable to consent to, or decline, treatment. It may also identify a proxy with durable power of attorney to make health care decisions for you. The Mayo Clinic recommends including your wishes regarding organ donation.

Registries

• All 50 U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have registry databases. While there is no national public registry of living wills, the commercial U.S. Living Will Registry can make your documents available nationwide and may host a database for your state.

Decision Makers

• Even with your wishes in writing, final decisions will be made by your family. It's therefore crucial you discuss your wishes with everyone who might be called on to make those decisions. Find out which of your choices might make your loved ones uncomfortable and talk through their objections with them. If you have designated a proxy, make that person aware of your discussions with others.