Journal # Germany's parliament is debating legal guidelines for living wills # 18.06.2009 08 UTC

Germany's parliament is debating legal guidelines for living wills -- documents drawn up to ensure that the wishes of terminally ill or incapacitated patients are met if they are unable to make or communicate a decision about further treatment themselves. As the German population ages, a growing number of people want to ensure that their instructions are followed. Current documents are often too unspecific to give medical staff the necessary guidance. As a result they're not legally binding and leave doctors in a moral dilemma.