Proposed Assisted Dignified Death Act... Euthanasia Brought to the Public Forum

Representative Ahn Kyu-baek Introduces Amendment Bill
Currently, South Korea Only Allows Dignified Death by Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment

With the Assisted Dignified Death Act proposed in the National Assembly, the topic of a dignified death has come into public discussion.

The "Partial Amendment to the Act on Hospice, Palliative Care, and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients in the Dying Process," jointly proposed by Ahn Kyu-baek of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 15th, allows individuals to choose assisted dignified death based on their own will even if they are not in the dying process, provided there is no fundamental possibility of recovery. If the individual is approved as a candidate by the Assisted Dignified Death Review Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the attending physician and two specialists can proceed after confirming the patient's wish for assisted dignified death.

Representative Ahn stated, "Advanced European countries have already accepted euthanasia, and domestic public opinion is also positive toward euthanasia," adding, "As we are moving toward an aging society, rather than tabooing death, a dignified death is necessary in society."

Euthanasia is broadly divided into three types. First, euthanasia where medical staff directly administer drugs to a patient who has chosen death of their own will. A more moderate form, assisted dignified death, involves the patient self-administering drugs prepared by medical staff. Dignified death refers to stopping life-sustaining treatment based on the wishes of the patient or their guardian.

Currently, South Korea only permits dignified death. However, patients must wait until the moment when the possibility of recovery is almost gone to choose dignified death. This means patients endure extreme suffering until the process of choosing dignified death. Representative Ahn said, "If one must reach an extreme state to choose their own death, isn't that far from a dignified death?"

Public support for euthanasia is growing. According to research by the family medicine research team at Seoul National University led by Yoon Young-ho, 76.3% of respondents support euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide. This support was consistent regardless of age, gender, education and income level, religion, or political orientation. The same research team conducted surveys in 2008 and 2016, but at that time, the approval rates were only 50.4% and 41.4%, respectively.

Senior organizations welcomed the proposal. Ko Hyun-jong, Secretary-General of the Senior Union, said, "We welcome this legislation that respects self-determination." However, he also added that more proactive euthanasia is necessary. Ko stated, "Currently, the scope of euthanasia is limited only to physical problems," and emphasized, "People suffering from mental issues such as dementia should also be able to choose assisted dignified death." Regarding anticipated opposition from religious groups, Representative Ahn said, "I will devote great effort to passing the bill after discussions with lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties."

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