By Kim Jae-won
The government will soon propose a bill to recognize the right of terminally-ill patients to die with dignity as early as next year.
The bill, if enacted, is expected to allow patients and their next of kin the right to decide whether to keep using life support equipment to prolong life.
The patients’ signed will may be used to determine whether to pull the plug on a patient with a terminal condition. If they are unable to make a decision without guardians, a hospital will likely decide through a pertinent committee.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that the bill will be drafted using the guidelines of the National Bioethics Committee (NBC).
“The bill, if approved by the National Assembly, will only cover terminally-ill patients,” said Kim Seong-deok, a medical doctor and chairman of the presidential committee, at a news conference.
Life-sustaining treatment refers to the use of life-preserving technology and machines, such as respirators.
However, the committee said that general life-sustaining treatments, such as reducing pain and providing nutrients and water, cannot be stopped on request from patients or their families.
The committee recommended that patients submit documents from their doctors for life-supporting treatment to clarify their intentions.
If patients do not provide any documentation, testimonies of more than two family members will be accepted in place of written documents, the committee said.
Currently, there is no law related to life-sustaining treatment. Due to the lack of a legal framework, such treatment has often been the cause of legal disputes between doctors and family members of terminally-ill patients.
The committee’s decision reflects a Supreme Court ruling in 2009, which approved a petition from the family of a comatose 75-year-old female patient, surnamed Kim.
The Supreme Court approved the removal of respirators from Kim because she expressed the wish not to receive life-sustaining treatment before she lapsed into a coma.
Observers say that the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan had a positive influence on public awareness about the right to die with dignity because he faced his death naturally at the age of 86 in 2009 by refusing any life-support.
The committee consists of 20 members — seven science experts, seven from ethic and religious groups and six government ministers — to reflect a wide range of opinions on bioethical issues.