{"id":374618,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:51","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/montana-law\/montana-living-wills-laws.html"},"modified":"2016-06-20T19:50:19","modified_gmt":"2016-06-21T00:50:19","slug":"montana-living-wills-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/montana-law\/montana-living-wills-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Montana Living Wills Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Montana Living Wills Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

When do we choose to die? While most people don\u2019t ask that question, as we grow older it can loom on the horizon. Being diagnosed with a terminal illness or becoming too weak to make health care decisions can present problems for us, our family members, and our doctors. One strategy for dealing with these situations is to create a living will.<\/p>\n

Living Wills Overview<\/h2>\n

A living will<\/a> is a legal document. One of the most common uses of living wills is to instruct doctors on our medical care decisions should we become too ill to make or communicate them. Patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses often make a living will to specify the point when they want life-sustaining medical care withheld, direct doctors to avoid specific medical treatments they don\u2019t want to receive, and make other decisions related to their care. Here\u2019s a summary of Montana living wills laws.<\/p>\n

Montana Living Wills Laws<\/h2>\n

Montana\u2019s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act allows terminally ill patients to refuse life-sustaining medical care. Patients can also choose another person, or "designee," to decide when to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment. This is the equivalent of a living will. To do so, patients must comply with a specific process set out in Montana law.<\/p>\n