Former sports commentator Fu Da-jen (傅達仁) on Wednesday said he could “die anytime” he wishes after receiving approval from a clinic in Switzerland that handles assisted suicide.
Fu posted a photograph on his Facebook page showing a “green light passport” issued by the clinic that contains a set of instructions by the patient in the event they can no longer express themselves or make judgments.
“I had a face-to-face meeting with the doctors and talked with the chief of the clinic,” wrote Fu, who had traveled to Switzerland to look for a clinic that deals with assisted suicide.
“I could fulfill my wish [to die] any time,” he wrote.
Fu, 84, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has been given four to six months to live.
He has refused surgery and has been appealing to the Taiwanese government to legalize doctor-assisted suicide.
Last month, he held a free art and calligraphy exhibition in a bid to raise awareness of what he described as terminal patients’ right to die with dignity.
In December last year, he released his latest book at a living funeral, which was attended by scores of like-minded artists and celebrities.
Now that he has gained approval for assisted suicide in Switzerland, where it is legal, “the whole process” will be streamed live, he said on Facebook.
Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), the director-general of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Medical Affairs, said that while live-streaming of an assisted suicide is not against the law in Taiwan, it could be controversial.
“There is no law governing this kind of act, but it is contrary to traditional concepts of ethics, public customs and social norms,” he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese