The ‘Living Will’: patient rights and palliative care

Abstract

This article clearly presents the concept, foundations and forms of elaboration and use of the “Living Will” or “Advance Directives of Will”, so that this important instrument of individual guarantees of will is better interpreted and used by both citizens and professionals legal and medical fields. In addition, it was “Palliative Care”, what they are, where they are performed and bringing their practical aspects into the lives of terminally ill patients or in a vegetative state and their relatives. It was also discussed the regulation of the “Living Will” in other countries, in order to demonstrate that Brazil lacks the need to create legislation on the subject.