Korea likely to legalize ‘right to die’
Terminally ill patients who have no other medical options but to hang on to life with essential treatment will likely be given the right to die starting next year. A subpanel of the presidential committee on bioethics has reached an agreement to legally allow patients who are dying or their families to decide whether to withdraw treatment that is keeping them alive. According to the subpanel’s advisory report released by the Ministry of Health on Monday, a terminal patient can voluntarily forgo life-sustaining treatments by stating how they want to be treated if they can no longer make health care decisions for themselves. The committee suggested documenting their will through “advance directives” and “physician orders for life-sustaining treatment,” so that doctors could stop providing treatments as the patients wished. Life-sustaining care includes CPR, artificial respiration, blood filtration and the use of anti-cancer drugs. However, drugs to control pain, nutrition, water and oxygen should be provided. The new rule will be put under discussion at a plenary meeting of the National Bioethics Committee next week. It is likely to be submitted to the health ministry in June and also legislated by the end of the year if it gets parliamentary approval. The plan is expected to go into effect next year at the earliest.
* terminally ill = 말기의, 위독한/ hang on to ~ = ~을 꽉 붙잡다/ bioethics = 생명 윤리/ forgo = 포기하다/ life-sustaining = 생명이(을) 유지되는/ advance directive = 사전 지시/ artificial respiration = 인공호흡/ blood filtration = 혈액여과/ plenary = 총회의, 전원 출석의/ go into effect = 효력이 발생되다, 실시되다
