무의미한 연명치료중단(존엄사)법에 대한 논의와 입법방향

The life-sustaining technology has made a rapid progress along with the splendid advance in medicine, and the technological development is concurrent with life-ethic problems that have been overlooked. On one hand, that offers hope for the possible maintenance of human life and health. On the other, there occurs a phenomenon that terminal patients just sustain their life by relying on life-sustaining equipment though there’s no way for modern medicine to treat their disease. Forced continuance of life-sustaining treatment even for an incurable patient may add physical and mental pain as well as financial burden to the patient or his guardians. Moreover, many advanced countries have an evident tendency to permitting the natural death of incurable patient in clinical practices. Thus, it is a matter of common knowledge that Korean society also needs a social consensus on “the right to die with human dignity and respect assured.”Therefore, before the enactment of a natural death law, the prior decision-making right of patients should be guaranteed, and an objective and professional decision-making organ for suspension of life-sustaining treatment should be prepared. In addition, the way of