Taiwan's New Power Party proposes euthanasia referendum, Ko Wen-je urges discussion

Taiwan's New Power Party is pushing for a national referendum on euthanasia, a move supported by former party chairman Ko Wen-je. Ko, who has a background as an emergency physician, believes that society needs to openly discuss end-of-life options, including euthanasia.

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Medical advancements have limits, and people should not expect them to solve all problems.

Ko stated that medicine has its limits and that people should not expect it to solve all problems. He urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to consider palliative care and euthanasia not as conflicting approaches, but as different methods for addressing complex issues surrounding terminal illness and patient suffering. "Facing problems is the first step to solving them," Ko remarked.

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Palliative care and euthanasia are not opposing concepts, but different methods for solving problems.

Addressing concerns about the difficulty of advancing such a proposal, given previous failed attempts to gather enough signatures for similar initiatives, Ko drew on his medical experience. He highlighted the dilemma doctors face between fighting for a patient's life or alleviating their suffering, posing the question of whether individuals should have the right to choose the timing and manner of their death.

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Facing problems is the first step to solving them.

Ko cited the example of Taiwanese patients traveling to Switzerland for euthanasia, suggesting that Taiwan needs a framework to handle such cases. He believes that bringing the issue into public discussion and building societal consensus is crucial for developing appropriate policies and solutions for end-of-life care.

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What is the doctor's greatest enemy: the patient's death or the patient's suffering? If the choice is the patient's death, then fight to the end. If it is the patient's suffering, then we must discuss whether people have the right to choose their own lives.