Death Panels

Some journalists are reporting that Sarah Palin’s approval ratings aren’t so good. In fact, they are really bad.

That seems so unfair, doesn’t it?

Big Picture God rings me up: “You do understand that Sarah Palin invented an attack on the Demo’s health care bill? You know, ‘OMG! The Government is Going To Euthanize Seniors: Death Panels.’”

There are debates out there about euthanasia. But we are not there, folks. “Obamacare” nowhere approaches this topic. The bill provided for payments to professionals to advise people about end-of-life decisions.

Today’s disclosure: I am a lawyer. I talk to people about end-of-life decisions. We consult about wills and trusts. We fill out forms appointing family members to make end-of-life decisions, including directives to terminate life support.

My typical estate planning package includes two living trust agreements, two wills, two powers of attorney and two living wills. These documents make provisions for distribution of property after death and authorize family members to make decisions prior to death.

If estate planning involves death panels, or equates to death panels, I’m afraid that my law practice is a whole lot closer to being a death panel than anything contemplated in federal health care reform.