question about DNR order on our will

[fishinchick]

hihi

My husband and I have a DNR order on our wills. We never considered that we might be doing anything wrong. We are both 58 and in good health now, but we are planning for the future. We don't want to burden our children with these decisions if something tragic happens to one of us. I know that the surving spouse still has the final say if anything happens.

If you state in your will that you want heroics in case of an accident, who pays for the longterm care? What happens if a family cant pay to keep someone alive, does the state pay?

Is it the right thing to always try to keep a person alive, even if its on a ventilator?

Thank you very much for your answer.

[Veritas41]

The National Catholic Bioethics Center has a website and on it an article detailing the Church's teaching on end-of life issues. They are in line with the Magisterium of the Church.

www.ncbcenter.org/eol.asp

As far as who would have to pay for the health care, I'm not sure. Sometimes hospitals write off expenses. I do know you can purchase long-term health care insurance, although I'm not sure if it applies to medical treatment or just nursing home care. That's certainly something to check into.