A person has the right to a dignified death

OBSERVER
Victor Fung Keung

18 August 2009

Most Chinese people are superstitious. We describe an unoccupied house as "auspicious"

and not "empty" lest that "emptiness" brings us bad luck. The legal document that
bequeaths our assets to our loved ones when we pass away is a "safe paper", as the
Chinese word for "will" conveys the notion of dying.

Invariably, when people hear the word "euthanasia" (in Chinese it means dying peacefully
and comfortably), they object to it without thinking rationally.

Some also argue that it is inhumane to let people kill themselves. But are we being
humane to allow people who have been hopelessly injured or are terminally ill to live in
misery and pain for the rest of their lives?

Hong Kong, being a Chinese society, is understandably opposed to euthanasia, or assisted

suicide. Euthanasia is illegal in Hong Kong. It's time the government changed that law.

People should have the right to die peacefully and with dignity. Quadriplegics, and those
certified by doctors to have illnesses with no cure, including terminal cancer patients,
should be given the legal right to decide whether they want to live or die with dignity.

Britain is considering amending its laws that ban euthanasia after a woman mounted a
successful court challenge early this month to be granted "assisted suicide".

But it was a high-profile case in July that rekindled the debate on legalising euthanasia in
Britain. Sir Edward Downs, who had been a distinguished conductor of the BBC
Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Opera but struggled in recent years as his hearing and
sight failed, died with his wife, who suffered from cancer, at an assisted suicide clinic in
Switzerland.

Each year, hundreds of Britons seek assisted suicide in Switzerland, one of the few places
on earth that permits it. Other places that allow euthanasia in some form are the
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Thailand, and the American states of Oregon and
Washington. Australia formerly allowed the practice in the Northern Territory but
overturned the law allowing euthanasia in 1997. But, last week, the Western Australian
Supreme Court granted a quadriplegic man his wish to die and cleared his nursing home
of criminal responsibility when it removed his life support.

Philip Nitschke, an Australian doctor and founder of Exit International, an advocacy

group for assisted suicide, was in Hong Kong recently to launch the TV series Dignified
Departure. No doubt many people do not agree with Dr Nitschke, but we should keep an
open mind. Diehard anti-euthanasia campaigners might soften their attitude if they were
to meet wheelchair-bound Choi Wan-fung, for example.

The 57-year-old quadriplegic spends most of his time lying in bed at his Chai Wan flat. He
said people who oppose euthanasia think they are being humane but, if they had to suffer
as he does, they would think again.

Mr Choi has neither friends nor family. He has only a domestic helper to care for him: his
mother died four years ago, and his brothers no longer visit him. His physical condition
has deteriorated. He is too weak to hold a glass of water. His legs and hips have become
seriously deformed.

Mr Choi suffers constant pain. Last week he told this newspaper that he "prays every day"
to be allowed to die. Why must he continue to suffer?

It is easy to say, when we are healthy and happy, that euthanasia is not right. Can we put
ourselves in Mr Choi's shoes for a minute and try to imagine how he feels? Sometimes
living can be worse than being dead.

In a Chinese society like Hong Kong, it's still taboo to talk about dying. But we must
respect a person's right to decide when they want to leave this world. It is not too soon for
the government to consider changing the law. Dying with dignity is humane.

Victor Fung Keung is a Hong Kong-based commentator on education and

political issues

Source: Exit, retrieved from

http://www.exitinternational.net/page/Exit+News+and+Forum+Archive?select=Parent
List&rowid=2381#topic_2154