법원 판결과 연명의료결정법으로 본 환자의 자기결정권과 죽음에 대한 고찰

• Published in: 대한법의학회지, 46(1) pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: 나주영, 박종태
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한법의학회 01.02.2022
• Subjects: 기타의약학
• ISSN: 2383-5702; 2383-5710
• DOI: 10.7580/kjlm.2022.46.1.1

The South Korean Supreme Court decision (2009Da17471), May 21, 2009, on removing life-sustaining medical care from persistent vegetative patients gave consent to death with dignity and initiated a lively debate in South Korea. The legal grounds for this decision were based on dignity, worth, and the right to pursue happiness regulated in Article 10 of the Constitution, The Death with Dignity Act was legislated as a law for life-sustaining medical care through debate and agreement on February 3, 2016, and has since been revised four times. However, there are some issues to discuss with this Act. First, the definition of the process of dying is unclear because the determining point of the dying process is different from the status of the attachment or detachment of an artificial ventilator. Second, the purpose of this law is the protection of dignity, worth, and the right to pursue happiness. As nutrition, fluid, and oxygen must be continuously supplied, even if the artificial ventilator is removed, is it reasonable to suggest that supplying these continuously achieves Article 10 of the Constitution? Third, if the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical care is possible or permitted without the patient’s approval, what is the legal value of advance directives? Fourth, it is whether death with dignity could be extended to the euthanasia. Conclusively, it may be necessary to partially revise the law for life-sustaining medical care through further debate and agreement. KCI Citation Count: 0