How do I create an advance healthcare directive in North Carolina?

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1. Types Recognized   North Carolina recognizes: (a) Advance Directive for a Natural Death — Living Will (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-321), (b) Health Care Power of Attorney (N.C.G.S. § 32A-15 through 32A-26), (c) MOST (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment), and (d) DNR.    2. Statutory Form   The statutory Living Will form is at N.C.G.S. § 90-321(d1). The Health Care POA form is at N.C.G.S. § 32A-25.1. Substantial compliance is acceptable, but the statutory forms are strongly recommended due to notary/witness requirements.    3. Execution Formalities   Both instruments require principal to be 18+ and of sound mind. Sign before TWO qualified witnesses AND a notary public (N.C.G.S. § 90-321(c)(2), § 32A-16). Witnesses cannot be: related by blood/marriage, entitled to any portion of the estate by will or intestacy, the attending physician/employee, employee of the healthcare facility, or person financially responsible for care. NOTARIZATION IS MANDATORY.    4. Healthcare Agent Authority   Under N.C.G.S. § 32A-19, the agent may make all healthcare decisions the principal could make including consent to/refusal of life-sustaining treatment and artificial nutrition/hydration, subject to limitations in the document. Authority is effective when the attending physician determines the principal lacks capacity.    5. Pregnancy Clauses   North Carolina does NOT have a statutory pregnancy exclusion in either the Living Will or HCPOA statutes. Position remains unchanged post-Dobbs.    6. Reciprocity   N.C.G.S. § 90-321(j) and § 32A-26 honor advance directives valid where executed.    7. MOST   The MOST form (N.C.G.S. § 90-21.17) is a bright-pink physician-signed order portable across care settings, used for seriously ill patients.    8. Revocation   Under N.C.G.S. § 90-321(e), revocable at any time, in any manner indicating intent, regardless of mental state — by physical destruction, written revocation, or oral revocation communicated to attending physician.    9. Default Surrogate   N.C.G.S. § 90-322 (limited) and § 90-21.13 establish consent priority for terminally ill patients without a directive: guardian > healthcare agent > spouse > majority of available parents/adult children > majority of available adult siblings > attending physician with concurring physician opinion.  This is legal information, not legal advice.