"Don't Want to Burden My Family" Euthanasia Controversy, What Do You Think?

Husband Removes Wife's Ventilator, Medium-Sized Old Model
'Right to Dignified Death' Limitedly Allowed in Korea
Life-Sustaining Treatment Can Be Discontinued with Patient and Family Consent
Few Institutions Actually Able to Stop Life-Sustaining Treatment, Limiting Options
Experts Say "Patient's Right to Self-Determination Must Be Respected"

A patient lying on a ventilator (artificial respirator). The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] The sentencing of a man accused of removing his wife's ventilator in the intensive care unit, leading to her death, has reignited the debate over 'dignified death.'

A dignified death refers to the right of patients suffering from incurable diseases to make the final choice regarding their own death. In South Korea, only a limited form of dignified death, known as the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, is permitted. However, criticisms have emerged that the procedures for discontinuing life-sustaining treatment are complicated, and the number of institutions capable of actually carrying out such discontinuation is limited, revealing clear constraints.

As a result, voices advocating for granting patients the right to decide on a dignified death?allowing them to stop meaningless and painful treatments and to pass away peacefully?are growing. On the other hand, there are counterarguments that dignified death violates bioethics and could be misused for criminal purposes.

◆ "We decided not to burden our children," husband removes wife's ventilator

Earlier, on the 10th, during the appeal trial sentencing hearing of Mr. Lee (60) at the Seoul High Court Chuncheon Division Criminal 1 Department (Presiding Judge Park Jae-woo), the prosecution requested the same sentence as the original trial: seven years imprisonment.

Mr. Lee is accused of deliberately removing the ventilator intubated in his wife's airway in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Cheonan, Chungnam Province, on June 4, 2019, causing her death from hypoxia.

The prosecution sought a heavy sentence citing that the duration of life-sustaining treatment for Mr. Lee's wife was only one week and that Mr. Lee did not legally discontinue the life-sustaining treatment.

In his final statement, Mr. Lee said, "My wife endured everything she wanted to eat and lived with difficulty, saying we should not burden our children with life-sustaining treatment," adding, "I pledged to honor her wishes and informed our children."

He continued, "After removing the ventilator, while shedding tears in the parking lot, I heard from my son that my wife had passed away, which broke my heart," and pleaded for leniency.

◆ 'Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision System' in its third year... Still clear limitations

Since 2018, South Korea has implemented the 'Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision System,' allowing patients to decide how they wish to face their final moments. However, due to procedural complexities and other limitations, it is pointed out that patients' actual authority to decide their own death remains significantly restricted.

If the necessary documents, such as the Advance Directive for Life-Sustaining Treatment, are submitted and there is consent from the patient and at least two family members, meaningless life-sustaining treatment can be discontinued. / Photo by Yonhap News

The Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision System allows patients nearing the end of life to discontinue medical procedures that only prolong life without therapeutic effect, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ventilator use, hemodialysis, and chemotherapy.

To discontinue life-sustaining treatment, patients must complete necessary documents such as advance directives or life-sustaining treatment plans, and it is possible only if two or more family members testify or if there is unanimous agreement among all involved.

However, even after securing the required documents and family testimonies, life-sustaining treatment cannot be immediately discontinued. According to the Life-Sustaining Treatment Act, decisions and implementation of discontinuation must be carried out through the establishment of a 'Medical Institution Ethics Committee' (Ethics Committee) registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

However, the number of long-term care hospitals with ethics committees installed in South Korea is very small. According to data submitted to former Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Il-kyu by the Bioethics Policy Institute in 2019, there were only 43 long-term care hospitals nationwide with ethics committees. Notably, there were no long-term care hospitals with ethics committees or related agreements in Busan, Incheon, or Sejong City.

Considering that 35.8% (95,000 people) of in-hospital deaths occur in long-term care hospitals, a significant portion of patients are effectively unable to choose dignified death from the outset.

The prohibition of 'assisted death,' where patients receive medication from doctors to end their lives painlessly by themselves, is another factor making dignified death difficult. Without medication, patients generally endure extreme pain before death.

For this reason, in 2018, a Korean individual traveled to Switzerland, where assisted death is legal, to end their life through euthanasia.

◆ "The right to die is also a human right" vs. "Concerns over criminal misuse"?divided opinions

Amid these circumstances, public opinion on expanding patients' rights to dignified death remains sharply divided.

A 20-something office worker, Mr. A, said, "If I imagine myself unable to even manage my own bowel movements or breathe without a ventilator, honestly, I don't think I would want to prolong my life any longer," emphasizing, "I believe dying with dignity is also a human right."

Another office worker, Ms. B (33), stated, "Although some argue that dignified death is unethical, I think it is more unethical for other family members to suffer forcibly due to costly and meaningless life-sustaining treatments," adding, "If a patient truly wants a dignified death, it should be carried out without restrictions."

Caregivers taking care of patients in long-term care hospitals. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, there are counterarguments that expanding dignified death could trigger a culture of devaluing life or be exploited for criminal purposes.

Housewife Ms. C (48) expressed concern, saying, "If methods to peacefully end life become legalized, people might recklessly give up their lives at the slightest difficulty," warning, "This could cause great social confusion."

Graduate student Mr. D (31) pointed out, "Most patients at the stage of deciding on dignified death or euthanasia are likely unconscious or lack the capacity to think for themselves," adding, "What if families with ill intentions forcibly decide on euthanasia? Dignified death should be allowed only in the most limited ways or measures should be taken to completely prevent its misuse for crimes."

Experts have suggested finding ways to respect patients' right to self-determination.

Professor Heo Dae-seok of the Hematology and Oncology Department at Seoul National University Hospital told Yonhap News, "Respecting the patient's own choice is most important," noting, "An ideal end of life reflects each individual's values and wishes most accurately."

He added, "The Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision System should be improved to better respect individual intentions and to be practically usable in the field when necessary, allowing patients to conclude their lives in the ideal way they desire."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.