A comparative study of legislation on end-of-life options and lessons for China
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2025.10.09
- VernacularTitle:生命终结选择立法的比较研究及中国借鉴
- Author:
Yu ZHANG
1
;
Aiyan ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. School of Criminal Justice， Shandong University of Political Science and Law， Jinan 250014， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
euthanasia;
death with dignity;
advance directive;
end-of-life;
hospice care
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2025;38(10):1292-1297
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
With the continuous increase in the number of terminally ill patients， end-of-life options have become a topic of great concern in recent years. New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act and Korea’s Act on the Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients in Hospice and Palliative Care or at the End of Life， as representative legislations on euthanasia and death with dignity in recent years， offer valuable references for China’s legislation on end-of-life options. Compared with euthanasia， which is prone to provoke legal and moral disputes， death with dignity has a better legal and social foundation in China， and relevant international legislation at this stage is more mature and more referential. China can draw on relevant extraterritorial legislation， gradually promote the nationwide legislation on advance directives and death with dignity based on clarifying the applicable standards of death with dignity and fully respecting patients’ wishes， and explore the establishment of a set of end-of-life legal system in line with the actual situation in China.
