공법분야 투고논문 : 연명 중단의 고려 시점에 대한 분석 = Analysis or thoughts about the timely point whether or not stopping life sustaining equipment

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The author analyzed the proper time and situation for stopping life sustaining equipment on the chronically unconscious patients and terminal patients. As you know, everyone thinks about death in case he or she suffers a chronic conscious disease or terminal illness, but many cannot decide on the concept of when he or she should start the thought process of stopping active treatment such as respiratory ventilators. But, everyone should know the status of patients who lost his or her consciousness and have to decide the critical points of stopping those treatments. So I have made a very useful methodological map and graphics for the decision whether or not one should start thinking of stopping the active treatment for the lost patients. Additionally, I have analyzed the opinions of the juries of the Supreme Court which concluded the sentence about Ms. Kim`s controversial trial of whether or not stopping her respiratory ventilator in 2009 in Korea. In conclusion, I have created a very useful timetable for the decision making process about the stopping of life-sustaining equipment for the consciously obliterated patients who have suffered from terminal disease for many years. This map and graphics will be useful for decision about the stopping the life sustaining treatment for the persistent vegetative states and terminal patients who lost his or her consciousness. In the future, people should study about the various spectrums of unresponsible wakefulness syndromes like persistent vegetative states and minimal consciousness syndrome.