One of the MANY regular emails into my inbox each day is Google's roundup of updated news and websites about Terri Schiavo. My deepest interest in this extremely controversial topic is in that this could have been any one of the many friends I have made over the last few years.

Today's roundup presented the following article from the Winston-Salem Journal.. Two Directives: Don't Get Caught Without Them. Just gives a nice breakdown of two considerations we all really should have front and foremost in our thoughts along with the reasons to get 'em done.

By Mike Wells, Special to the Journal, Sunday, March 12, 2006

The Terri Schiavo case brought to the front of the national consciousness the importance of making clear your wishes when you are near the end of your natural life.

Two documents available in virtually every state, which could have avoided this family tragedy, are a living will and a health-care power of attorney, often called advance directives.

A living will allows you to define whether your doctors should take all steps medical science provides to prolong your life if you are terminally and incurably ill or in a persistent vegetative state (complete loss of cognitive abilities).

<snip>

A health-care power of attorney, often referred to as a health-care proxy in the national coverage of the Schiavo case, allows you to appoint another person to authorize various health-care procedures if you are unable to make these decisions yourself. For example, if you are unconscious and your doctors want to perform an elective surgery or a diagnostic test, your health-care agent can authorize it. You may limit your authorization of a test or procedure if it is objectionable to you for religious or other reasons.