Protecting Your Religious Values With an Advance Directive in Tampa

Many religious individuals have important values that they want to protect, even if they become incapacitated. Many of these religious beliefs apply to healthcare and medical decisions. How do you ensure that your healthcare providers respect your religious values after you fall into a coma? What if you suffer some kind of head injury, and you are unconscious? What if you develop dementia, and you can no longer advocate for yourself? An advance directive could help in these situations, and this may be something worth exploring with a Tampa estate planning attorney.

What Kind of Religious Values May Conflict With Healthcare Decisions?

Why would you need an advance directive to protect your religious values in regard to healthcare? Many religious individuals do not agree with certain types of healthcare. For some, their faiths may prohibit them from accepting these procedures or treatments. However, doctors may not necessarily be aware of your religious beliefs when they provide you with treatment. You may be incapacitated or unable to speak, making it impossible to communicate your religious objections to your healthcare providers.

For example, many religious individuals object to the use of stem cells. This type of healthcare is associated with abortion, which many religious individuals disagree with on the basis of their faiths. As a result, they may avoid various treatments that involve stem cells. These treatments are becoming more common in the modern era, and researchers use stem cells to develop certain vaccines. Other stem-cell-related treatments include bone marrow transplants, skin grafts, and various therapies related to heart disease.

Some religious individuals are also opposed to blood transfusions, which are also quite common in the modern era. Other religions have prohibitions against euthanasia. Still others restrict certain procedures after death, such as autopsies and organ donations. All of these procedures could be taken without your consent if you become incapacitated.

How Does an Advance Directive Protect My Religious Values?

An advance directive is an estate planning document that describes your medical preferences. If you become incapacitated, your healthcare providers should adhere to these instructions. As a result, you can feel confident that even if you are not able to express your preferences, your doctors will still respect your religious values.

Consider a Healthcare Surrogate as Well 

It may be challenging to protect all of your religious values with an advance directive. New treatments and medical technologies may arise that conflict with your faith. If your advance directive doesn’t mention these new treatments, this could be an issue. As a result, it often makes sense to designate a healthcare surrogate as well. This might be someone who is familiar with your faith, and they can make decisions on your behalf if you ever become incapacitated.

Can a Tampa Estate Planning Attorney Help?

A Tampa estate planning attorney may be able to help if you want to explore the potential protections associated with advance directives. While these estate planning tools can protect your religious values, they can also perform many other important roles in regard to healthcare planning. A designation of healthcare surrogate may also be helpful in this context. Expand on this conversation with Knudsen Law today.

Sources:

 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18555116/

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4524405/