Terri Schiavo's legacy.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Despite the shameless pandering of politicians and the heartbreaking pleas of her parents, Terri Schiavo's tragedy is not really about the right to live or die. It's about the need to know.

There is only one reason the helpless Schiavo has been denied her right to a dignified death in peace and privacy: There is no record of her wishes. No one knows for sure what she really wants.

As a result, the people who love Schiavo most in the world are locked in a bitter battle over whether she would want to remain alive after 15 years in a persistent vegetative state or have her feeding tube removed. The painful lesson couldn't be more clear: You can spare your loved ones the anguish that's tearing Schiavo's family apart by filling out an advance health care directive outlining who you want making decisions on your behalf and when you want your end-of-life care to end.

Schiavo's case may seem extreme, especially in light of the tawdry exploitation she's been subjected to by cynical politicians and talk-show blowhards, but her lack of clear guidance about her intentions is the rule rather than the exception. Fully 80 percent of Americans have no living will, durable power of attorney or advance health care di- rective.

Without clear direction, families are often forced to make wrenching life-or-death decisions in the midst of crisis. Given the complex dyna- mics in most modern families, consensus on difficult issues is elusive in the calmest of times. It's next to impossible in the emotional chaos of a hospital ward.

Procrastination prevents about two-thirds of the people who think it would be a good idea from getting around to completing an advance directive. Two words for folks who feel that way: Terri Schiavo. She was in her mid-20s when her heart stopped briefly as a result of an eating disorder, severely damaging her brain and rendering her unable to com- municate.

Fortunately, filling out an advance directive is straightforward and inexpensive. A thorough and thoughtful collection of everything you need to know about preparing an advance directive, including tips on how to raise the topic with reluctant family members, is available on the Internet at www.seriousillness .org/lane. The American Bar Association offers free forms and provides online resources available at www .ABALawInfo.com. Oregon-specific information is available online at the Oregon Hospice Association, www.oregonhospice.org, and at Oregon Health and Science University's Center for Ethics in Health Care, www.ohsu.edu/ethics/index.htm.

Terri Schiavo's legacy will transcend the moral and legal conflict that currently commands national attention. Schiavo has given families a reason and a way to talk about a difficult topic in time to avoid the agony her own family is facing.

It's a precious gift indeed.