A medical power of attorney serves to:
◦ give the physician the legal authority to end the person's life if the person is in extreme pain and no recovery is possible
◦ assign the decisions about how a person will be cared for to a friend or family member, should the person become too ill to make these decisions
◦ legally bind a physician to provide "all due care" for the person up to the moment of natural death
◦ advise the next of kin that the person does not wish to use heroic measures to sustain life