Elderly Iowa Woman Has 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattooed On Chest

[The Straight Story]

Elderly Iowa Woman Has 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattooed On Chest

Medical Experts Doubt Inking Is Legally Binding In Court

POSTED: 2:26 pm EDT May 16, 2006
UPDATED: 3:10 pm EDT May 16, 2006

DECORAH, Iowa -- An 80-year-old Iowa woman has made her final wishes perfectly clear -- it's in ink on her chest.

Mary Wohlford of Decorah has a living will and has told her family her wishes if she's incapacitated. Now, she spelled it out with a tattoo that says: "DO NOT RESUSCITATE.''

Her decision is raising legal issues. Some medical and legal experts said they doubt the tattoo would be binding in the emergency room or in court.

Decorah's Bob Cowie, chairman of the Iowa Bar Association's probate and trust law section, suggested that people sign a living will or authorize a medical power of attorney.

http://www.local6.com/news/9225454/detail.html

Interesting...

[DS1]

1. Let's hope for her sake that the reason she needs resuscitating

in the first place isn't due to being caught in a fire, which burns over her DNR tattoo.

[etherealtruth]

2. "Medical Experts Doubt Inking Is Legally Binding In Court"

Well how can "they" determine what her wishes really were? :sarcasm:

[The Straight Story]

3. They're experts, she ain't :)

Or So they believe.

I think it comes down to though - is a person able to reasonably communitcate in an emergency, and if the medic does not try will he/she get sued for not trying to save her life.

[FSogol]

5. I'm sure Bill Frist knows.

;-)

[etherealtruth]

15. !

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[kid a]

4. Awesome!

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. It might hold up, if properly countersigned and witnessed

I just spoke to a notary in my office. She said that, under Washington State law, it would be valid if properly witnessed and signed in the presence of a notary public, who then signs and applies her seal. HOWEVER, under state law, having those signatures and seal then tattoed would amount to tampering and/or altering a notarized signature and notary seal, which are felonies.

Very interesting question.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. The inking's not bad,

but the Notary stamp could HURT!

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Heh, most states allow for an ink stamp rather than an embosser

In Washington, the embosser is preferred (it makes it much easier to tell an original from a copy) but not required.

[Fridays Child]

7. Down in Texas, a tattoo would do the trick but only if it says...

...I have no money and no insurance.

[kineneb]

9. reminds me of my ankle surgery

the nurse wrote on the correct foot something like "fix this one" and put a sock on the other foot.

Not sure that a tattoo is exactly the way to get the message across, but if it works....?

[kitkat65]

13. I remember seeing this of action being recommended after

the guy in Florida (?) got the wrong leg amputated. Oops!

Don't be afraid or embarassed to take the initiative and write in big fat marker "NO!" on the limbs you would like to keep.

[FSogol]

16. "NO? I thought it meant "ON", as in operation on this leg".

My bad. ;-)

[Warpy]

14. I had a sticker over the operative eye

and a shield over the good eye last week.

It worked.

[kitkat65]

17. Good news! Hope you have a speedy recovery!

B-)

[prole_for_peace]

18. when i had my carpel tunnel surgeries the nurse would

put a big X on the hand NOT to be operated on. but i wondered if the doc would get it. what if he thought it meant " X marks the spot"

[Left Is Write]

11. I admire her creativity, but I'm glad she's also got a Living Will.

Everything needs to be spelled out clearly and legally.

My grandmother had a DNR, but somehow communication got mixed up between her doctors, the hospital doctors, and the staff at the hospice she went into. She went into cardiac arrest and was revived. She lived another painful, agonizing few weeks. (She died of lung cancer.)

[marions ghost]

19. I understand your perspective

but the Living Will is not for everybody. My mother would have not had the last 3 years of her life (which she desperately wanted) if she had had a living will. One medical crew almost let her go based on the wishes of her (not-so-sharp) stepdaughter, when she had five living children of her own. I could tell some horror stories about the problems with living wills. I appreciate the woman writing her wishes on herself. She made it clear to all.

[Left Is Write]

21. I didn't say the Living Will was for everybody.

I'm saying that in THIS case, I'm glad the woman isn't relying only on her tattoo, and that she actually has a Living Will in place.

[marions ghost]

22. OK not arguing

Just making a comment. Personally from what I've seen, I'd rely on the tattoo more (in terms of intent) than the Living Will, though of course you have to have both for the legality of it.

People think that the problem is that they will be "kept alive against their will." From what I've seen, you need to state it very strongly if you have a serious chronic illness, but you DO want to be kept alive. This goes counter to popular belief.

Just making the point is all. Probably should have posted it to the OP.

[Warpy]

12. Nurses threaten that all the time

especially those of us who have been through a lot of code blue.

Still, the best bet is someone with a medical power of attorney. I've seen living wills overturned by hysterical relatives. I've never seen a power of attorney overturned, no matter what shrieking right to lifer distant cousin has turned up threatening lawsuits if you don't do chest compressions on Grandma whose rib cage is as sturdy as a strawberry box...

[michreject]

20. My kinda woman

I bet she was a spitfire in her youth. Would love to meet her and just talk for a spell.