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KMID : 1025620090120010061
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Korean Journal of Medical Ethics
2009 Volume.12 No. 1 p.61 ~ p.76
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Death with Dignity and Voluntary Passive Euthanasia
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Choi Kyung-Suk
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Abstract
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The concept of “death with dignity” has received a great deal of attention in South Korea recently. While some believe that death with dignity is different from euthanasia, others maintain that it is a form of voluntary passive euthanasia. Medical futility and autonomy clearly play an important role in the moral justification of death with dignity. This article argues for the necessity of introducing a new criterion of medical futility into the classification of euthanasia, for there may be moral differences between medically futile treatment and basic treatment such as antibiotics, hydration, and nutrition. The patient’s views on what constitutes medical futility may also be relevant. One notion of death with dignity examined in this article is the idea of not interfering with “natural death.” This notion of death with dignity is distinct from any form of euthanasia defined as hastening a patient’s death for him/herself. However, as is shown in this article, this notion is impractical due to the vagueness of the concept of “natural death.” Thus, this article defends the claim that death with dignity is a form of euthanasia.
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KEYWORD
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Voluntary passive euthanasia, Death with dignity, Futile treatment, Advance directives, Natural death.
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