The Implications and Significance of the Case at Severance Hospital.
10.5124/jkma.2009.52.9.848
- Author:
Hyoung Wook PARK
1
Author Information
1. Department of Medical Law & Ethics, Yonsei University College of Medicine/Executive Board Member of KMA, Korea. ismipark@yuhs.ac
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Life-sustaining management;
Advance directives;
Hospital ethics committee;
Death with dignity;
Euthanasia
- MeSH:
Advance Directives;
Child;
Ethics Committees, Clinical;
Ethics, Institutional;
Euthanasia;
Federal Government;
Humans;
Judgment;
Korea;
Patient Rights;
Right to Die;
Specialization
- From:Journal of the Korean Medical Association
2009;52(9):848-855
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
This year on May 21st, the full panel of the Supreme Court in Korea had first made a judgment on 'withdrawal of life-sustaining management'. In this case, where a 76 -year-old patient was represented by her children, while being in a persistent vegetative status, the Supreme Court ruled that if a patient is in an irreversible condition with imminent death and the discontinuation of treatment can be approved as the patient's self -determination, while such action will not be allowed in any other special circumstances. This judgement presented the general criteria and process of withdrawal of life -sustaining management in Korea for the first time. The Supreme Court also brought about the specific requirements of advance directives and decided that in case where legal proceedings are not taken, the hospital ethic committee constiting of medical specialists should decide whether the patient is in an irreversible condition. However, the judgment vaguely defined the concept of 'irreversible death-imminent condition' and did not clearly examine the relations between the patient's right on self-determination and the duty of the national government to protect the life of the people, and the discretionary power of the doctor.
