EPC-USA makes U.S. Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Health Care available

You are only a car accident away from needing medical care while you are unable to express your wishes. April 16th was National Health Care Decisions Day—a good time to legally appoint someone you trust, called an Agent, to make those decisions for you. You do this by completing a Power of Attorney for Health Care. We offer documents that meet the requirements for all 50 states. One document for 46 states and then one for New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin at: https://epc-usa.org/resources/

You can protect your life by empowering your agent to make important decisions. Instead of answering “YES” or “NO” to certain treatments, the documents empower your Agent who you appoint to make those decisions to protect your life. 

Have you ever thought about being on a ventilator to help you breathe? If you say NO and then you need it, you may die. Maybe you don’t want to be on a ventilator forever, so you don’t want to say YES either. Remember Christopher Reeve who played Superman? After an accident, he lived on a ventilator for 8 more years. Probably, you would like to be on a ventilator until your lungs recover. Maybe it needs to be tried to find out if that is the case.

Our documents empower your Agent with flexibility. Your Agent is directed to request and consent to treatment that is appropriate and beneficial and authorized to reject treatment that is not. The words “appropriate” and “beneficial” mean what you told your Agent they mean. So, only your Agent decides what is appropriate and beneficial. If you told your Agent you would like to be on a ventilator for a short time until you recover and not need it permanently, your Agent can do that.

What if you need care and a doctor disagrees with your family or your family disagrees among themselves? If you have a Power of Attorney for Health Care, then the Agent, who you appoint, is the final decision maker.

We advise you to appoint a Health Care Agent who shares your values.

EPC-USA asks for a free-will donation of $15 for the Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Health Care. You can give more or less, it’s up to you.

Find the document for your state at: https://epc-usa.org/resources/

Canadians can purchase the Life-Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care from Euthanasia Prevention Coalition to protect your life and assure that you will receive beneficial treatment or care. (Link).