Hospital decides to remove life-support from comatose patient

SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- A hospital ordered by the country's top court to
remove life-support device from a comatose patient said Wednesday it has decided
to do so.

The date will be decided in consultation with the family, the Yonsei Severance
Hospital in Seoul said.
In the first ruling that allowed what physicians sometimes refer to as "passive
euthanasia" for a patient with virtually no chance of recovery, the Supreme Court
had said the hospital should respect the family's wish for the patient to "die
with dignity."
The patient, 77 and known only by her last name Kim, lapsed into a coma in
February last year after excessive bleeding caused by a botched endoscopy
operation and had been hospitalized since.
Following the top court's ruling, Kim's family asked that she be immediately
removed from life support.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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