Who may forgo life-sustaining treatment?
East Asian statutes on withdrawing LST differ sharply from England: Japan still lacked a forgoing-LST law after a decade of debate; Korea and Taiwan legislated withdrawal; England treats family differently in the comparative analysis.
Source
Forgoing life-sustaining treatment - a comparative analysis of regulations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and England
Study at a glance
- Design
- Qualitative / archival — Comparative legal analysis of forgoing LST statutes in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and England
- N
- N=4 · Four jurisdictions compared
- Population
- End-of-life LST withdrawal/ACP regulations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and England
- Outcome
- Sharp differences in family vs patient roles and statutory coverage of forgoing LST
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
What they did
The authors compare Japan’s missing LST statute and draft advance-directive bill, Korea’s act permitting withdrawal at end of life, Taiwan’s 2000 Hospice Palliative Care Act and later ACP regulation, and England as an English-speaking comparator, focusing on family versus patient.
What they found
Comparative analysis showed the family’s (or loved ones’) role in England differs. Taiwan’s ACP regulation is new relative to the 2000 hospice act. Japan had still not submitted a draft AD bill as of 2019 in the paper’s telling.
The limits
What it doesn't show
This is comparative regulation, not a clinical trial of withdrawal. Dates are as of the article, not a 2026 update.
Key terms
- LST
- Life-sustaining treatment that may be withheld or withdrawn at the end of life.
- Advance directive (AD)
- Prior instruction about future treatment; Japan’s draft AD bill had not been submitted as of 2019.
- Hospice Palliative Care Act (Taiwan, 2000)
- Early statute permitting withdrawal in Taiwan, later joined by ACP regulation.
- Family role
- How much loved ones, not only the patient, structure lawful forgoing — the paper’s comparative sting.
Flashcards
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
Japan as of the paper?
Common questions
Japan’s statute?
Had yet to pass a law on forgoing LST despite long public discussion.
Korea?
An act permits withdrawal of LST from patients at the end of life.
England vs East Asia?
The family’s role differs in the comparative analysis.
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