Mercy killing debate rages

Euthanasia, also known as mercy killing or assisted suicide, refers to the practice of ending a person's life in a painless manner, often to relieve intractable suffering.

Euthanasia is illegal in China, and debate about whether to allow the practice has raged since the country's first reported mercy killing in the 1980s.

The case involved Wang Mingcheng, then aged 32, of Shaanxi province, and physician Pu Liansheng, who were convicted of the murder of Wang's mother, Xia Suwen, in1987.