In late 2024, the suicide of acclaimed Taiwanese author Chiung Yao at 86 sparked a societal debate. She expressed her desire to avoid the difficult aging process and sought to govern her own death rather than leave it to fate. Her statements propelled the issue of “euthanasia” back into the public arena, posing the question of whether Taiwan should legalize euthanasia to grant patients and the elderly the right to die with dignity.
Euthanasia, the intentional ending of a life to relieve suffering, is legal for humans in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium but remains prohibited in Taiwan. Due to the lack of consensus on euthanasia, Taiwan has only introduced limited legislation, including the 2000 Hospice and Palliative Care Act, which allows terminally ill patients to refuse treatments like CPR through advance directives. The 2019 Patient Right to Autonomy Act further strengthened these rights to prevent unnecessary treatments, reduce suffering and support dignified deaths. Despite these advancements, Taiwan has yet to legalize the right to die.
No other principle matters more to euthanasia supporters than the autonomy to determine one’s destiny. In aging societies like Taiwan, supporters argue that euthanasia could ease burdens on families and healthcare systems, as it allows for meaningful farewells instead of prolonged suffering. Some medical professionals also agree and state that extending life at all costs may not align with patients’ best interests.
Photo: Freepik / 照片：Freepik 提供
Opponents stress the sanctity of life and worry about the slippery slope effect that could lead impoverished or critically ill individuals to overwhelmingly seek euthanasia. They also raise concerns about the burden placed on medical personnel and the potential blurring of doctors’ roles. Additionally, some suggest that Chiung Yao’s case highlights Taiwan’s lack of death education, and that better palliative care and death education would benefit society more.
With Taiwan’s aging population and rising healthcare challenges, it falls upon everyone from lawmakers to the general public to engage thoughtfully with this issue.
西元 2024 年底，臺灣著名作家瓊瑤於 86 歲輕生離世，引發社會議論。她表達了希望避免辛苦的衰老過程，並尋求主宰自己的死亡，而非將其交給命運。她的言論讓「安樂死」議題再次推向公眾視野，提出臺灣是否應將安樂死合法化，以賦予病患與長者有尊嚴地死去的權利。
安樂死即為了解除痛苦而有意結束生命，在荷蘭和比利時等國家對人類使用安樂死是合法的，但在臺灣仍被禁止。由於對安樂死缺乏共識，臺灣僅頒布了有限的法律，包括西元 2000 年的《安寧緩和醫療條例》，該法允許絕症患者透過事前指示拒絕心肺復甦等治療。西元 2019 年《病人自主權利法》更進一步加強了這些權利，以防止不必要的治療、減少痛苦並支持有尊嚴的死亡。儘管有了這些進展，臺灣仍未將死亡權合法化。
對安樂死的支持者而言，沒有任何原則比決定自己命運的自主權更為重要。在臺灣這樣的高齡化社會，支持者認為安樂死可以減輕家庭和醫療體系的負擔，因為它可以使臨終者得到有意義的告別，而不是延長痛苦。一些醫療專業人士也同意，並表示不惜一切代價延長生命可能不符合病患的最佳利益。
反對者則強調生命的神聖性，並擔心滑坡效應可能導致貧窮或重症患者大量尋求安樂死。他們也對醫護人員的負擔以及醫生的角色可能變得模糊表示擔憂。此外，也有人認為瓊瑤的案例凸顯臺灣缺乏死亡教育，而較好的安寧緩和照護和死亡教育將更有益於社會。
隨著臺灣人口老化和醫療保健的挑戰日益嚴峻，從立法者到一般民眾，每個人都必須認真思考安樂死這個議題。
MORE INFORMATION
euthanasia n. 安樂死
societal adj. 社會的
propel vt. 推動；推進
legalize vt. 使合法化
the Netherlands n. 荷蘭
Belgium n. 比利時
hospice n. 臨終安養院
palliative n. 緩和劑
dignified adj. 有尊嚴的
sanctity n. 神聖性
slippery slope 滑坡效應
(一種邏輯上的錯誤，指的是你認為一件小事可能會引發一連串越來越嚴重的事情，但實際上，這些後果不一定會發生）
impoverished adj. 窮困的
KEY VOCABULARY
1. acclaimed adj. 富盛名的；受到讚揚的
Robin, an acclaimed director, is known for creating visually stunning and emotionally deep stories. 羅賓是一位著名的導演，他以創作視覺震撼且情感深刻的故事而聞名。
2. consensus n. 共識
Although there were different viewpoints, the team worked hard to find a consensus on this issue. 儘管意見不同，團隊仍努力在該議題上尋找一個共識。
3. legislation n. 法律；立法
The government passed new legislation to protect endangered animals from illegal hunting.
政府通過了新的法規，以保護瀕臨絕種的動物免受非法獵捕。
4. terminally adv. 絕症晚期地；垂危地
A charity provides care and emotional support for children who are terminally ill.
一個慈善組織為罹患絕症的兒童提供照護和情感支持。
5. directive n. 指示；指令
Under the teacher’s directive, students had to submit their assignments online. 根據老師的指示，學生必須在線上繳交作業。
6. autonomy n. 自主；自主權
Giving children some autonomy in making decisions helps them develop responsibility and problem-solving skills.
讓孩子在決策上擁有一定的自主權，有助於培養責任感和解決問題的能力。
7. align vi. 對齊；對準; align with 符合
Tom adjusted his proposal to align with the client’s specific requirements. 湯姆調整了提案，使其符合客戶的特定需求。
8. personnel n. 全體人員；員工
Due to budget cuts, the company had to reduce its personnel in several departments.
由於預算刪減，公司不得不裁減數個部門的人員。
9. blur vt.（使）變模糊
The photographer adjusted the camera lens to blur the background and make the subject stand out more.
攝影師調整相機鏡頭使背景模糊，讓主體更加突出。
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