Few people relish the thought of contemplating their own death or the circumstances that may lead to it.

Taking some time to do so, though, and talking to family members about it could help avoid a public battle like the one being waged over Terri Schiavo.

The Florida woman's husband and parents are embroiled in a legal battle over whether her nutrition and hydration should be withdrawn. She has been in a vegetative state for years.

The basic question is: Would she have wanted to live this way?

New Mexicans who take time to talk with their loved ones and to sign a document outlining their wishes can provide an answer to that question for themselves.

"New Mexico really is quite a leader, progressive in the ability of citizens to make their advance directives known," said the Rev. Bill Dorman, director of pastoral care at Presbyterian Hospital.

An advance directive here doesn't need to be witnessed, notarized or even filled out on a specific form, he said. Of course, it doesn't hurt if it is.

One critical piece of the directive is to assign someone to make health care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate.

If you don't name someone, according to Secretary Debbie Armstrong of the state Department of Aging and Long-Term Services, state law calls for the decision-maker to be, in order of priority: your spouse; an individual in a long-term relationship similar to a spouse; an adult child; a parent; a sibling; a grandparent or a friend.

An advance directive makes clear whether you want everything possible to be done to keep you alive; whether you want only the accepted medical practice; or whether your designee should decide, Dorman said.

Since it's impossible to predict every contingency, many people leave that decision to their designee, he said.

People also can indicate whether they want artificial nutrition and hydration.

Those checking into a hospital are given the option of filling out an advance directive, Dorman said. Making those choices in a hospital bed, though, can be emotional, he said.

"It's preferable to do it at home around the kitchen table," he said.

You can get forms on the Internet or at a number of places -- for example, the Department of Aging and Long-Term Services, the state Bar Association and the Senior Citizens Law Office, Armstrong said.

You should give copies of your advance directive to the person designated to make your health care decisions, your family members, your physician and others who might be called in if you are incapacitated.

You don't need a lawyer to fill out an advance directive, and you can get the form at no cost.

Find form online

You can get a form for an advance directive online

from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center's Institute for Ethics at http://hsc.unm.edu/

ethics/advdir/adv dir.shtml.

That site also gives access to a "values history form," which will help guide a discussion with your designee about your values and how they could be carried out if you are incapacitated.