안락사 유형별 규범해석과 사회적 인식도

Abstract

We should discuss the choice of a terminally ill patient to seek medication that he or she could consume to bring about a peaceful and dignified death. Euthanasia means “good death”. The question that what is a good and approval death is indeed the difficult thing to define, and what makes it ethically worthwhile and important to discuss. Most of scholars of criminal law did not allow active euthanasia, that is a doctor to take the life of a patient who is suffering from an incurable disease and wants to die. But they allowed passive euthanasia and ‘letting die with dignity'. According to the principle of the autonomy the patient has a right to refuse a specific medicine even if the treatment is lifesaving. A living will would express the individual's desires regarding life support should he or she become incapacitated as a result of terminal illness. Another definition of physician assisted suicide provides that is usually involves a patient taking her own life with the help of a doctor. Most of scholars of criminal law don't approved the legalization of the right to physician-assisted dying. But a August 2005 national survey found that 79 percent of Koreans support the idea that when a person has a disease that can not be cured, doctors should be allowed to end the patient's life. Most people support the general idea of stopping medical treatment in suffering from an incurable disease. Also 71 percent of Koreans support that doctors should end treatment of patient who is suffering the terminal illness if his family request it. In view of the results so far achieved, this national survey was found to be similar to the Gallup's survey and Per Research Center survey on the American Public.