All issues > Volume 52(8); 2009

Review Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2009;52(8):843-850.

The change of perspective on brain death, euthanasia and withdrawal of the life supporting medical treatments in Korea for pediatric patients

Ivo I Kwon¹

¹Law School, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Ivo I Kwon ,Email: kivo@ewha.ac.kr

Abstract

A recent High Court's decision regarding the withdrawal of life supporting medical treatment (artificial ventilator) from an elderly female patient in the terminal stage has opened up a new era of the "euthanasia dispute" in Korea. With this decision, the legitimate withdrawal of life supporting treatment became possible under certain conditions and the Korean Medical Association is working toward the establishment of practical guidelines for the terminal-stage patients. However, there are still very few debates on the cases of pediatric patients in the terminal stage or suffering from fatal diseases. For pediatric patients, the core principle of autonomy and following procedure of "advance directives" are hardly kept due to the immaturity of the patients themselves. Decisions for their lives usually are in the hands of the parents, which may often bring out tragic disputes around "child abuse", especially in Korea where parents have exclusive control of the destiny of their children. Some developed countries such as the U.S.A., the U.K. and Canada have already established guidelines or a legal framework for ensuring the rights of the healthcare system regarding children suffering from severe illness, permitting the withdrawal of Life supporting medical treatment (LSMT) in very specific conditions when the quality of life of the children is severely threatened. For the protection of the welfare and interest of the children, we should discuss this issue and develop guidelines for the daily practice of pediatricians.

Keywords :Euthanasia; Life supporting medical treatment; Medical ethics; Legal dispute; Pediatric patients; Death with dignity