The death debate between Qiong Yao and ping Jia: who has the right to decide how I die?

What is a hospice? Born to be human, do we have the right to make ourselves a hospice?

Qiong Yao wrote an open letter to her son and daughter-in-law in March, called "Make a good farewell to their own", mentioned that life is accidental, and death is inevitable, if you want to go, she wishes to leave with dignity, one column behind the matter, not into the intensive care unit, not inserted nasal stomach tube, not first aid, anyhow, She did not want to be trapped in a shell that was both painful and tortured.

Photo Source: Qiong Yao Face book

This year, 79-Year-old Qiong Yao to the birth of the spark from the ratio, I wish to die like snow, into dust. The topic of euthanasia and the rights and interests of life and death, through the mouth of Qiong Yao Initiative, open the window of public discussion.

At the same time, Qiong Yao also recognized that it is because her husband Ping Xin Tao bed in hospital for more than 400 days, let her have a profound reflection, but also plans to make their own mental process to boil into a new book. The husband experiences the life and death, "the blood vessel type loses the intelligence disease" the Pathogeny, lets him gradually not recognize oneself.

A loved one's husband slowly forget, Qiong Yao still remember he had asked not to insert nasal stomach tube, but peace Xin Tao family's opinion, she very painful according to the family, repeatedly blame, think she betrayed her husband's entrust.

Flat family children from another point of view, vascular dementia is not "critically ill" list, the physician has also proved that the nasal tube is to eat smoothly, why not do? Why would a living man die? Is it wrong for the children to retain their father's last-minute support?

The incident is Rashomon door, we are not parties, looking at the lively, can also take the opportunity to reflect: how to determine life and death, how to decide critically ill? One side is the person who wants to die, the other side is want to continue to love the family, what should be good? Again on the issue of life and death, whether other people have the right to beak, relatives really have the right to make decisions for you?

In contemporary society, life and death should no longer be the taboo of sealing, it is worth our more exquisite discussion, starting from the current law article began to look.

Live the way I want to, the way I want to die

At the end of 2012, Taiwan passed an amendment to the Tranquillity and Palliative Care Ordinance to respect the medical will and rights of terminally ill patients.

From the original patient family (spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, must jointly sign the terms of consent, relaxed to be signed by my will, or the end of the two specialist judges with the consent of a family member (spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, etc.), can be extubation and termination of life-sustaining medical care. (Recommended reading: have you ever heard of the Peace Palliative Care Ordinance?) : When the mother will die, I choose to give up first aid )

The "Patient Autonomy Rights Act", which will be on the road after 1.5, invites people to anticipate the death scene in advance.

The legal details, the person with complete capacity, the right to know, choose and decide on the condition and medical options, and through the Advance medical consultation (Advance Care PLANNING,ACP), the Advance medical decision (Advance Directions,ad), In the case of one of the five specific clinical conditions listed below, it is possible to accept or reject medical treatment and to seek out a medical appointment agent in advance and to express his or her will if he is unconscious or unable to express his wishes clearly.

1. Terminal patient
2. In a state of irreversible coma.
3. Permanent vegetative state
4. Extremely severe loss of intelligence
5. Other cases of disease of the patient, as announced by the central competent authority, or suffering unbearable, incurable and no other appropriate solution to the medical level at that time

As a patient, how do I live, how do I want to die? The passage of the patient's autonomous Rights Act is to invite people to choose for themselves first and not to leave the difficult decisions to their families. (For more details, refer to the patient's Autonomic Power Law FAQ )

From the doctor's point of view, the Yang Xiuyi director of the Taiwan Medical Reform Foundation of the consortium has mentioned the Doctor's Dilemma, "the existing law has some explanatory doubts, so that the good physician can only choose to" save the patient's pain and avoid criminal liability. " 」

The family also has something to say. Many family members mentioned that the signing of the consent to draw a letter, feelings of complexity, on the one hand, for the family to congratulate their relief, but also blame themselves to let go of the family's hands, and even the guilt of murder, their hearts tangled, the last moment is also good lying people, why the next moment to And if I die, why do I have to die with my consent?

The baby in my heart, be the scary monster in the eyes of others

Japanese writer Noro in the book, "Mermaid Shen Sleep Home," linked to brain death and organ donation issues, touched the boundary of death, heart not stop brain death, is it death? Donggui I also wrote down the mother in order to retain the child's repentance love Confession, "My Heart's lovely baby, but become someone else's eyes of the frightening monster, if Love is a morbid, let me completely crazy." 」

More or less, figured out unwilling to let go, difficult to give up the family mood. A hospice is a choice, and when a patient cannot choose for himself, the burden of weight-bearing decisions comes to the shoulders of his family.

There are also people who actively advocate euthanasia and support the right to a terminally ill patient who suffers from extreme physical suffering. In the world, only the Netherlands and Belgium have passed euthanasia laws, the Netherlands is the first through the country, while Belgium is the most tolerant of the law, Switzerland has assisted suicide organization Dignitas, in any person is not selfish intentions, to assist the patient to commit suicide.

A letter to Tsai's euthanasia legal advocates, Fudaren, said in an interview with the reporter , "Euthanasia is not painful to go, joy Goodbye, you plug in the pipe mourning, do not know which day to go, it is pain, it is criminal responsibility." 」

In recent years, many people have asked whether psychological pain can be used as a reason for euthanasia, as most of the scenes in the past have been in the final ward and focus more on physical pain. In 2015, Emily, a girl deeply afflicted by severe depression, expressed her strong desire for death and the consent of a physician to allow euthanasia, and in the day of her scheduled euthanasia she was comforted by the same feeling of seeking death, and finally dispelled the idea of death. (Recommended reading:"Xiao Yu random column" In the face of depression, how we should be from the place )

The psychological pain is subjective, there is no magnitude, it is difficult to agree, The Economist, who filmed Emily's documentary, was diagnosed with severe depression from the age of 12 and tried suicide several times, she said, "I feel empty, I try to love life, but I continue to feel meaningless, and many people still tell me that I am not working hard enough, I despise life, make me more painful. 」

No one has the right to blame others, you are wrong and underestimate the life. The decision to die is not easy, criss-crossing the choice behind, is everyone to their own body and life and value judgments. We have not chosen how to live, but the discussion of the patient's autonomous Rights Act and euthanasia may allow us to choose how to die for ourselves.

How to end life, has become the most controversial, but also the most need to discuss one of the issues, see back Qiong Yao and ping family examples, we should be a little more tolerant, perhaps to think, if it is me, then I have to choose how to do?