Living Wills, Explained

Dear Reader,

Last month, Sarita, a 62-year-old retired corporate professional, gave herself an unusual birthday gift.

She got a living will made.

A living will is a legal document that states what medical treatment you want, or don’t want, if you become unable to communicate your wishes yourself.

In hers, Sarita has specified that if her doctors determine that there is no realistic scope of recovery, she does not want life-prolonging medical interventions to continue. In simple terms, she does not want to be kept alive indefinitely through machines.

She describes the decision as a gift to her loved ones, especially her son, Anmol. She has already created a trust to ensure he is financially secure, and is even beginning to clear out old clothes and paperwork to make life easier for him later on.

“I just want things to be simple. I’m a single parent. So if the question is, can I make things easier, then I will,” she told me.

Anmol says he supports her decision to create a living will.

But when I asked him what he would actually do if she were in a coma, his answer was more complicated. He said he would probably wait at least six months to a year before withdrawing life support.

“Of course your loved ones want to keep hope alive. But my living will should supersede those emotions,” Sarita told me.

That tension lies at the heart of living wills. These documents don’t erase emotion or grief. Rather, they give families a clearer framework for navigating some of the hardest medical decisions imaginable.

The conversation around living wills has resurfaced after the Supreme Court recently permitted passive euthanasia in the case of Harish Rana, a 31-year-old man who had reportedly been in a vegetative state for 13 years.

And yet, living wills remain rare in India. Lawyer and estate planner Shruti Swaika told me that even regular wills are uncommon, with estimates suggesting that fewer than 10% of Indians have one.

So what exactly is a living will? How do you make one? And why are some Indians beginning to think differently about death, dignity, and end-of-life care?

To learn more, check out the latest episode of The Signal Brief, where you’ll hear from consumers, doctors, and lawyers navigating these questions firsthand.

You can find The Signal Brief on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you once again for listening and supporting us. We’d love to hear from you; write to us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or X at @thesignaldotco.

Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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