■古德博士的選擇
銀行債務協商On May 10th this year, scien?tist David Goodall died at the age of 104. He was not terminally ill, but instead chose to die. He flew from his home in Australia to Switzerland so that he could have a doctor help him end his life. Mr. Goodall lived a full and productive life. But as his quality of life deteriorated, he said he was “happy to end” his life.
科學家大衛? 古德今年5 月10 日以104 歲高齡離開人世。他並非因病臨終老死，而是選擇直接面對死亡。他離開家鄉澳洲飛到瑞士，因為在瑞士，他可以請醫師協助結束生命。古德先生人生過得充實，成就非凡。但當生命品質的花朵凋萎時，他表示「樂於就此結束」自己的一生。
■協助自殺爭議大
Having a doctor help you die is called physician-assisted suicide. A physician, or doctor, assists their patient to end their own life by committing sui?cide in a painless and safe way in order to relieve chronic suffering. Another name for this is active euthanasia. Euthanasia, or the act of ending a life to end suffer?ing, is illegal in most countries and is controversial all over the world.
由醫生幫忙完成死亡，稱作「醫生協助自殺」。在此方式下， 為了從長久的病痛煎熬中解脫， 醫生協助病人用無痛、安全的方式自殺。這種方式也叫「積極安樂死」。作為一種用結束生命車貸利率來終止苦痛的手段，安樂死在許多國家並未合法，全世界對它有很多爭議。
■傅達仁的解脫
Taiwan sports anchor Fu Da-ren suffered from terminal pancreatic cancer for two years. He flew to Switzerland late last year to join a group that allows assisted suicide. However, he then returned to Taiwan so he could campaign for the legalization of euthanasia here. Right now, euthanasia is still illegal in Taiwan. On June 7th Mr. Fu ended his life in Switzerland at the age of 85.
臺灣的體育主播傅達仁，兩年來承受著末期胰臟癌的病痛。去年他飛到瑞士，加入一個可做協助自殺的團體。但隨後他又回到臺灣，推動安樂死立法。在臺灣，安樂死目前仍未合法化。6 月7 日這天，傅達仁在瑞士結束自己的生命，享年85 歲。
■布蘭妮?梅納德案例
Elderly people are not the only ones who want the right to assisted suicide. In 2014, a 29-year-old American woman named Brittany Maynard was suffering from terminal brain cancer. She moved from California to the state of Oregon so that she could end her life under that state’s Death with Dignity Act. Ms. May-nard used social media to raise aware-ness of this issue before ending her suffering.
並非只有老年人會想獲得協助自殺的權利。2014 年，布蘭妮? 梅納德這位時年29 歲的美國女性，當時承受末期腦瘤的痛苦。她從故鄉加州搬到奧勒岡州，因為在奧勒岡州的《尊嚴死亡法》下，她可以終結自己的生命。用死亡結束所有痛苦前，梅納德透過社群媒體提出呼籲，希望增進大眾對協助自殺議題的認識。
■加州安樂死法律被判無效
In the United States of America, this issue falls to the governments of each state to decide on. Most states in the USA do not allow assisted suicide. As of May this year, only the states of Oregon, Colorado, Vermont and Wash?ington, as well as Washington, D.C. al?low for active euthanasia. These states only allow residents to take advantage of the law. California had a law to al?low assisted suicide, but a judge over?turned it earlier this year.
在美國，能否實施安樂死， 屬各州州政府的權限。大部分的州目前不允許實施。截至今年5 月，只有奧勒岡州、科羅拉多州、佛蒙特州、華盛頓州及華盛頓特區允許積極安樂死， 而且限定只有住民可依法採取安樂死。加州前幾年通過允許協助自殺的法律，但該法今年稍早已被法官推翻。
（本文轉載自【新一代兒童週報/雙語週報】047期）
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