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Is A DNR Tattoo A Legal Document?

The short answer is, no. But that's not keeping people from getting these tattoos. 

DENVER – Sheila Evans contacted the Next team with our Next Question. She wanted to know if a tattoo that said “DNR” if it would be considered a do not resuscitate order.

We did some research and found out that it’s actually a trend.

“A DNR tattoo sounds like it should work,” Catherine Hammond, an estate planning attorney said. “It sounds like it should make it very clear that you don’t want to be resuscitated, but it doesn’t work.”

Doctors don’t know if it’s valid or not valid,” Hammond said. “Might be a little bit ambiguous because they don’t know exactly what you might mean especially if you have the letters DNR tattooed.”

“It’s not changeable. Any other kind of medical directive would be changeable. A tattoo is pretty hard to take off.”

2WTK called the state and several elder law attorneys. All said a DNR tattoo would not be considered a legal document here either.

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