On admission to the hospital, a patient with terminal cancer says that he has a living will. Which of the following does this document state as the patient's desire?
a. Receive all means of mechanical assistance to prolong life.
b. Have his wife make decisions regarding his care.
c. Be allowed to die and not be subject to life-prolonging measures.
d. Have a lethal injection administered to free him from his suffering.
C
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A A living will specifies what life-prolonging interventions the patient does not want for himself or herself.
B If the patient's wife had been appointed by him as his health care agent, then she could make treatment decisions on his behalf.
C A living will is a document in which a person records refusal of life-prolonging measures that may be administered during his or her probable state of mental incompetence in the future.
D Assisted suicide, such as a lethal injection, is not a function of a living will. A living will defines a patient's wishes for withholding life-prolonging treatments.
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