Patient in landmark 'death with dignity' ruling dies

SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- A comatose patient at the center of a fierce battle
over the right to "die with dignity" was declared dead Sunday, some 200 days
after being removed from life support, hospital officials said.

The 78-year-old woman, who had been in a vegetative state since suffering
postoperative cerebral damage in early 2008, died at 2:57 p.m., according to
Severance Hospital in western Seoul.
After a year-long court battle between the patient's family and the hospital, the
Supreme Court in May last year recognized the patient's right to die with dignity
and ordered the hospital to remove the respirator.
Complying with the approval, doctors at Severance Hospital turned off her
respirator on June 23.
In an unexpected twist of fate, the patient then breathed on her own for 201 days
without life support, although doctors had expected her to die less than three
hours after the removal of the device.
The hospital had been providing her with fluids and nutritional supplements.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)