An important component of estate planning is the Advanced Medical Directive, sometimes referred to as the Living Will. The importance of a carefully drafted, halachically-correct Advanced Medical Directive cannot be overstated.

First a little background. In 1990, the Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of Cruzan v. Director Miss Dept. of Health, established the constitutional right to direct one’s own medical treatment. The Cruzan case was quickly picked up under the banner of protecting the “right to die,” defining the right to refuse medical treatment. It should be noted that while the banner of “right to die” was the most typical framework for discussion, the Supreme Court also established the “right to live.”