Pope Lacks Living Will

The Pope’s recent bout with a flu-like ailment has brought to the public’s attention the fact that he does not have a living will.  Christopher Dickey, in He Has Willpower But No ‘Living Will’, reflects:

“Yet this same pontiff who continues to assert his will in the daily life of the church has given his doctors no instructions about how to sustain his life, or not, should he slip into a persistent coma. Could anyone—would anyone—pull the plug?  And under what circumstances?  * * * Having spent a generation imposing his will on the church, the ailing John Paul has yet to make known a living will to guide his doctors.”

Perhaps the publicity surrounding the Pope will encourage others to provide instructions for their family and friends.

Special thanks to Douglas Cowan for the citation to Dickey’s article.