Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said he would support measures to petition the president to pardon an 81-year-old woman convicted of killing her son.
The woman, surnamed Liu (劉), was sentenced to two years and six months for killing her 52-year-old son.
Liu lived with her son, surnamed Lin (林), and cared for him, as he had severe intellectual disabilities and was confined to bed due to cerebral palsy, court documents from the 2023 trial showed.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Liu grew increasingly concerned for Lin due to her age and declining health after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized in 2023, the indictment said.
In May of that year, she suffocated Lin to death, the court said.
Liu slipped into Lin’s room when a care worker was in the restroom, it said.
The Taipei District Court on May 27 found Liu guilty and sentenced her to two years and six months, but recommended that a presidential pardon be sought.
The ruling can be appealed.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yue-chin (林月琴) yesterday told a Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee meeting that the case highlighted the need for alternative care and support for family members.
She asked whether the Ministry of Health and Welfare had plans to facilitate visits and reviews of families in need of long-term healthcare.
She also asked whether local governments or healthcare organizations could assess the well-being of families requiring long-term care.
Shih said that the ministry has provided respite services for people who care for family members, including migrant care workers.
It has provided mental consultation, instructions and other measures to caregiver support facilities, he said.
The ministry would assess the possibility of providing family healthcare leave and, if possible, forward proposals to the Ministry of Labor, he said, adding that he supports a presidential pardon.
Separately, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅惠) said that the office respects the independence of the judiciary and would not intervene while the case is ongoing, but will only deal with the matter after the judicial process is completed.
The government is looking into the burden shouldered by disadvantaged families resulting from the need for long-term care, and would continue to improve and expand the support network, Kuo said.
The Taiwan Association of Family Caregivers on Wednesday called for new judicial guidelines for cases involving people who kill others under their care, saying that courts should weigh factors such as mental exhaustion and efforts to seek help before the crime.
Shiu Wen-wei (須文蔚), dean of National Taiwan Normal University’s College of Liberal Arts, on Wednesday urged the president to pardon Liu, calling the case a tragedy resulting from the strain of long-term care work.
The incident was not simply a “murder,” but the collapse of a family under the weight of 50 years of a “caregiving burden.”
Liu’s despair was more than any one person could bear and reflects a broader social issue that must be addressed, Shiu said, urging the government to establish a better safety net to support caregivers.
Additional reporting by CNA
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