Legalize the right to die with dignity

A Seoul court several days ago ordered the removal of a respirator from a patient in a permanent vegetative state, recognizing a person's right to die with dignity.

The family of the 75-year-old woman who fell into a coma in February during a bronchoscopy procedure had filed a request in May to the court demanding that the hospital take her off life-support. In its ruling, the court said that the woman is unlikely to regain consciousness and be able to live without the aid of life-support and that the use of a respirator is a medically meaningless treatment in her case.

The court said that it can be presumed - based on the woman's actions and statements in the past - that had she been informed of her current condition and treatment, she would have preferred to remove the artificial respirator and die a natural death.