The Florida Legislature passed "Terri's Law," which empowers the Governor to intervene in these cases and stop the removal of a feeding tube. Gov. Bush did so, but the law was ruled facially invalid (PDF) by a Florida state court last week.

I think there are two horrifying issues here--the possibility that you could be injured irreversibly and then become the symbol of the right to life movement. I would much rather be unplugged than exist for years under the control of crazy family members trying to use me to support their wacked religious beliefs.

But it's also horrifying to consider how one dies in these situations--they unplug you and you starve to death. It would be more humane (at least to the patient) to be administered an overdose of sedatives than to die of dehydration. Jack Kevorkian is still in jail, so he won't be administering anything.

Anyway, to at least avoid the risk of being kept alive for years in hospice, you can complete an advance directive or living will. Also consider a durable power of attorney for health care decisions. The American Bar Association has a free brochure (DOC) that you can complete and notarize. Also, the Partnership for Caring has information about end of life decisions.

I've had an advance directive for some time now, as I used to own high-performance motorcycles, and the chance of serious injury motivated me to vest my health decisions in my brother, Mark.