"Euthanasia" Chosen by 35.5%, "Physician-Assisted Suicide" by 15.4%
Only 7.8% Opt to Continue Life-Sustaining Treatment
Only 8% of adults responded that they would choose to continue life-sustaining treatment if they were terminal cancer patients. The majority opted to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, or chose to end their lives through methods such as euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide.
According to the Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative Care on October 16, a research team led by Kim Sujeong and Shin Myungseop at St. Luke's Hospital, along with honorary professor Heo Daeseok from Seoul National University, conducted a survey of 1,000 adults nationwide in June of last year and published a paper with these findings. The study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Korean Medical Science (JKMS).
In the survey, when asked, "If you were a terminal cancer patient, what decision would you make?" 41.3% of respondents chose the "life-sustaining treatment decision," meaning they would not receive unnecessary life-sustaining treatment. This refers to a decision not to start or to discontinue medical interventions that serve only to prolong life without the possibility of recovery.
Additionally, 35.5% said they would choose euthanasia, while 15.4% said they would opt for "physician-assisted suicide," in which they would end their own lives with the help of a doctor.
Although both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide involve a doctor prescribing medication to induce death at the patient's request, there is a distinction between the two. In euthanasia, a medical professional directly administers the medication, whereas in physician-assisted suicide, the patient takes the prescribed medication themselves.
This trend suggests that the majority of the public regards choosing a dignified death-not simply ending life, but refusing to prolong suffering-as a respectable decision.
In contrast, only 7.8% of respondents said they would continue life-sustaining treatment.
Regarding the results, the research team explained, "The majority of people do not wish to artificially shorten their lives, but they prefer to refuse the prolongation of suffering caused by meaningless life-sustaining treatment."
The researchers also pointed out that confusion still exists regarding concepts such as "life-sustaining treatment decision," "euthanasia," and "physician-assisted suicide." In particular, they noted that the term "death with dignity" does not specify a particular medical act and serves to confuse various concepts. While "death with dignity" is generally viewed positively by the public, it can actually blur the lines between different medical practices such as euthanasia and discontinuation of life-sustaining treatment, leading to misunderstanding.
Lee Myunga, president of the Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative Care, stated, "Although the term 'death with dignity' sounds comforting, it actually creates a dangerous linguistic illusion by mixing euthanasia and life-sustaining treatment decisions. Education and promotion of a unified terminology system are necessary."
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