A South Dakota living will is a legal document in which a medical patient declares their preferences regarding withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in cases of terminal illness or imminent death. The will becomes effective when the patient can no longer communicate their own decisions for their care. Any competent adult can execute a living will.
If the living will does not explicitly provide instructions for artificial nutrition and hydration, the medical practitioner will follow standard state guidelines to treat the patient.
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