Those who have had to sit by and watch loved ones suffer from a protracted terminal illness often view the eventual death more as a relief than a tragedy.
But until yesterday's passing of the Tranquil and Moderate Medical Treatment Act in the Legislative Yuan, little could be done to help terminally ill patients in Taiwan -- except continual resuscitation until their bodies refused to function at all.
Although Taiwan has lagged behind the US for 26 years in passing such an act, advocates of the new law said the legislation could finally allow terminally ill patients in Taiwan to die a dignified death, as well as solve the moral and legal dilemmas often faced by physicians.
"My mother-in-law suffered from endless pain during the last two years of her life," said KMT legislator Chiang Yi-wen (
"She screamed every night to the point that our neighbors filed endless complaints about her," she said. "If only she had the right to choose the sort of treatment she wanted, she could have had a peaceful end to her life."
In Taiwan, where about 30,000 patients die of cancer every year, only 2,000 or so are lucky enough to end their journeys through life in the island's limited hospice wards, where the concept of a "dignified death" is emphasized, insiders said.
"In other words, many terminally ill patients are not allowed to have their desires fulfilled regarding the way they wish to die," said Chao Co-shi (
Chao gave a vivid example to illustrate the suffering she witnessed on the part of cancer patients.
During the last phase of cancer, about 60 percent of patients find cancer cells invade their bones "just like white ants eating away wooden pillars," Chao said.
As nurses were instructed to conduct CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in the event a patient went flatline, "the nurses could sometimes feel that the rib cages of these patients simply shattered," Chao said.
The act allows patients to say "no" to emergency medication that they consider would only prolong their pain or even degrade their dignity as human beings.
"After all, some [aggressive] treatments, such as chemotherapy, cause physical deterioration of the patients," and this can trigger psychological problems as well, said Esther Chang (
Before the passage of the act, Article 43 in Taiwan's medical practice law states that doctors and nurses have to try every possible method to save the life of a dying patient, with the presumption that "life is precious," said Chang.
But such a legal rule is not always favored by patients, who, after being treated with CPR or other related measures must only suffer prolonged pain, Chang said.
Some hospitals allow terminally ill patients to state in writing their willingness to refuse treatments such as CPR, but these documents are not legally binding and often become the source of medical disputes later on, said insiders.
Chao called the passage of the act "a relief " to advocates of the right to choose.
"Although Taiwan has lagged behind advanced countries in terms of this legislation, we are glad that the draft law has finally been passed," Chao said.
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