Any move toward legalizing assisted suicide in the nation should be made with caution and start from the grassroots, as it would be “improper” for the government to take the lead on the policy, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said yesterday.
Hsueh made the remarks at a meeting in the Legislative Yuan, where he took several questions relating to famed sculptor Ju Ming (朱銘), who died by suicide at 85 over the weekend following years of chronic health problems.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wen Yu-hsia (溫玉霞) said that Ju’s death and dozens of similar cases each year highlighted areas of Taiwan’s “long-term care” policies that still needed to be improved.
Photo: CNA
In making those reforms, the government should also consider the question of whether to legalize euthanasia, Wen said, but added that it would probably be difficult to reach a consensus at present.
New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) asked to what degree such issues could be handled under current laws, such as the Hospice Palliative Care Act (安寧緩和醫療條例) of 2000 and the 2019 Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法), which guarantees patients’ right to a good death.
Citing the Netherlands as an example of a country that has legalized euthanasia while maintaining “extremely rigorous standards,” Chiu asked whether the health ministry should initiate conversations with various sectors of society on the topic.
Hsueh said that with euthanasia, the crux of the issue is that it does not just involve a person who is ill and wants to end their life, but also another individual who has to actively assist them.
As this responsibility would currently fall on medical personnel, there is significant controversy over whether it should be allowed, he said.
Many cases, like Ju’s, have complex backstories, and should not be automatically attributed to failures in long-term care policies, he said.
As for the legal and ethical side of the issue, the laws cited by Chiu are sufficient at least for passive situations, in which doctors do not provide life-extending care if that is what the patient wants, he said.
However, in terms of physician-assisted suicide, the problem is that both the Hippocratic Oath and the policies of the World Medical Association are firmly opposed to it, Hsueh said.
Therefore, even if there were a legal basis for euthanasia, there might not be medical professionals willing to take part, he said.
Hsueh also appeared wary of engaging with medical associations on the issue, saying it would be “a bit strange” for the health ministry to be in the position of trying to convince doctors to breach their own professional guidelines.
Because of this, Hsueh said he believes that any plans to change the legal status of euthanasia should be made with caution, and should proceed from the bottom up.
“The government should not be enthusiastically promoting euthanasia. Having the government take the lead [on the issue] would be improper,” Hsueh added.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
RSS