By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer

In Georgia and South Carolina, you can ensure that even if you are unable to communicate at the end, your body will not be hooked up to machines to keep you alive.

In addition to a living will that would spell out your wishes, Georgia law also allows you to give Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care to a spouse, parent or loved one to make health care decisions for you and to prevent doctors from administering care you do not want. Augusta lawyer Wilson Haynes said he often does the Health Care Power of Attorney as part of drawing up a will and doesn't charge for the additional work. If done on its own, he estimated, it would cost about $50.

The document allows you to spell out what category of care you would not want to sustain your life, from ventilators to feeding tubes, and empowers your loved ones to decide on other procedures not spelled out.

In South Carolina, the Death with Dignity Act allows a relative to withhold life-sustaining care if that is your expressed wish and two doctors certify you are dying or are permanently unconscious, after 90 or more days of unconsciousness or massive brain damage.