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Doctor dumps sick wife for nurse

An eye doctor has been accused of dumping his wife -- who became sick and fell into a coma nearly two years ago -- in order to marry another woman, the Taiwan High Court heard yesterday.

The eye doctor, who owns a clinic in Taipei, faced the accusations of the family of his wife at a high court hearing yesterday.

The doctor's in-laws are appealing an earlier ruling by the Taipei District Court, which granted a divorce at the doctor's request.

The couple were married in 1994 and a baby girl was born to the family two years later.

In 1998, Chen's wife developed a brain tumor and has remained paralyzed in bed and unable to speak since then.

The doctor's mother-in-law yesterday charged that the doctor, surnamed Chen, has lived with a nurse at his clinic since her daughter became ill.

The mother said the doctor also transferred his assets soon after the onset of her illness in order to avoid paying a large amount of alimony.

What's more troublesome, the mother protested, is that the district court granted the divorce under these circumstances.

"It might be human nature for him to do what he did. But if the law cannot protect one's rights within the bonds of marriage, why should people bother getting married in the first place?" she said.

In granting the divorce, the district court highlighted a distinction between legal and moral considerations in this case, suggesting it might be disputable morally but justifiable legally.

The district court reasoned that the wife's serious condition had made it difficult to maintain a normal marriage.

The court said that anyone, if put in Chen's shoes, would also lose faith in the marriage.

The district court also awarded custody of the couple's daughter to the father.

The doctor's in-laws said yesterday they cannot accept the district court's decision, which they claimed is unfair to the wife.

They are asking Chen to pay more than NT$200 million to cover his divorced wife's medical and living expenses for next 30 years, if the divorce is granted.

Chen, who didn't appear in court yesterday, instead responded to the ongoing disputes by giving interviews to the press at his clinic.

Chen claimed he never attempted to dodge his responsibilities as a husband, and said it was a tough decision for him to divorce his sick wife, whom he said he still loves.

"There are many things in life we feel sorry for, one of which for me is my marriage and divorce.

"I don't think I should be obliged to stay if the marriage is no longer what it is meant to be," Chen said, adding that it was his intention to keep supporting his wife.

Chen said he now pays NT$70,000 a month to cover his wife's medical and living expenses, but he cannot afford to give the NT$200 million in one lump sum as requested by his in-laws.
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