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.
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