In September 1987, Pu Liansheng, a doctor who was supposed to check on the patient's condition in the ward, appeared in the dock of the Hanzhong Municipal People's Court.
The Hanzhong Municipal People's Procuratorate charged Pu Liansheng with "intentional homicide" and asked the court to sentence him to life imprisonment and deprive him of his political rights for life.
Pu Liansheng sparked heated discussions: Doctors kill people? What is the truth? Director of the Hepatitis Department of the Inpatient Department of Hanzhong Infectious Disease Hospital in Shaanxi Province, with superb medical skills and good status. Why is it accused of "euthanasia" for patients and condemned?
What is the final verdict?
Pu Liansheng: From "Three Good Youths" to "Euthanasia" Doctors Pu Liansheng was once praised by the people around him as "Three Good Youths with a bright future", and he is also a "Three Good Doctors" who respect patients and attach importance to the opinions of their families.
However, to everyone's surprise, he was involved with the word "murder" at 5 a.m. on June 29, 1986. Accompanied by Wang Mingcheng, Xia Suwen noted ** "compound hibernation spirit", and passed away peacefully a few hours later, becoming the first patient in China to implement "euthanasia".
As a result, Pu Liansheng was arrested by the Hanzhong Municipal People's Procuratorate in accordance with the law in the name of "intentional homicide", and the accusers were Xia Suwen's two daughters.
In 1984, Wang Mingcheng, who was working in the factory, suddenly received an urgent telegram from his eldest sister. Although there were only a few words in the telegram, it made Wang Mingcheng worried.
Wang Mingcheng took leave and rushed back to his hometown in Hanzhong, where the hospital informed him that his mother was suffering from "cirrhosis ascites", which is extremely painful for the elderly, has a high mortality rate, and may cause a variety of complications when it worsens, usually only in patients with advanced cirrhosis.
When he saw his mother in the hospital bed, he couldn't help but cry bitterly. His father died young, and in addition to his son, he had two older sisters and a younger sister. In order to raise them, their mother Xia Suwen often worked several jobs to make money.
Now that they are all married, they see that their mother is about to get rid of their hardship.
Wang Mingcheng understood that his mother's illness was caused by overwork, and he deeply blamed himself for this. He stayed by his mother's side day and night to take care of her life. Although all four of them are employed and are not financially a problem, he is heartbroken to see the pain his mother has suffered.
My mother's originally thin figure became bloated due to fluid accumulation, and she could not stand or walk, and could only lie in the hospital bed most of the time. Staying in bed for a long time caused her to develop bedsores on her buttocks and edema in her lower limbs.
All of this made the mother miserable.
Wang Mingcheng was often in pain, watching Xia Suwen struggle in pain on the hospital bed, but he was helpless. His mother's wails pierced his heart like a knife and made him feel breathless, but he could not help him.
He tried various methods in the hope of alleviating his mother's pain, and even discussed with the attending doctor Pu Liansheng to prescribe more special drugs. However, Xia Suwen's body could no longer withstand the power of the drug, and even the special medicine could not relieve her pain.
The medicine stone did not work, and she fell into a long coma, but she twitched unconsciously in pain. Wang Mingcheng couldn't communicate with his mother, and his heart felt like it was torn apart when he looked at her painful appearance.
When Wang Mingcheng was still in acceptable condition, Xia Suwen would always hold his hand tightly and stare at him. Now, as she stared at her mother on the bed, Wang Mingcheng's heart was full of fear, afraid that one night his mother would suddenly leave him.
He eagerly hoped that his mother would wake up from her coma and spend more time with them. Finally one day, Xia Suwen briefly woke up under the effect of the drug, and the pain in his body was reduced a little.
Wang Mingcheng sat on the edge of the bed and chatted with her about the children of her two sisters and the trivial matters of the hospital. However, Xia Suwen has become struggling to speak.
Wang Mingcheng's heart hurt as if he had been pricked by a needle. He heard a faint sentence: "Mingcheng, I'm tired." If you love me, let me go, I can't hold on anymore. ”
Wang Mingcheng lowered his head to arrange the sheets, pretending not to hear, but tears kept falling on the sheets. He recalled that when he was a child, his mother had to cook for the sake of her family, even if she was tired, and she was never afraid of hard work; My mother took care of all the housework in the house by herself, and she never said a word tired.
Such a strong man is now looking at him with anticipation. He deeply felt his mother's love, and he couldn't let her down.
In the silence of the hospital room, he did not dare to look directly into his mother's eyes. Xia Suwen's waking time was short, and Wang Mingcheng didn't dare to cry out loud until she fell asleep, and said in a low voice: "Mom, it's useless!" ”
He has never been more aware of his selfishness and incompetence, he is selfish and unable to let go, incapable of changing the status quo. After that day, the image of his mother and her pleas kept echoing in Wang Mingcheng's mind.
Looking at Xia Suwen, who was like two people on the bed and in his memory, Wang Mingcheng began to gradually understand her.
He knew that his mother was a person who did not want to trouble others and did everything herself. However, now she has difficulty even going to the toilet, which makes her mother unbearable. I don't know when this torment will end.
In the end, he relented and found Pu Liansheng again. Pu Liansheng has rejected Wang Mingcheng's request for the second time, hoping that he can help Xia Suwen euthanize. He watched Wang Mingcheng burst into tears and said, "My mother said she couldn't bear it anymore, and now she just wants to seek relief ......."Doctor, is there any other way we can ......”
I can't help you with this, I'm responsible for the patient. When he first heard Wang Mingcheng's request, Pu Liansheng struggled in his heart. Because before this, Wang Mingcheng had communicated with him many times, and even begged him to give Xia Suwen some more special medicine to relieve her pain.
Pu Liansheng was deeply worried about this, but he did not act rashly. It was June 27 that really touched him. It was not long after Xia Suwen woke up. She had been unconscious since she was dying, but that day she was suddenly in great pain, screaming like a trapped beast and crying "I want to die".
Her voice was so weak before that no one cared, but now it was so unscrupulously vented. The next day, she fell into a coma again, and Pu Liansheng also began to be suspicious.
Pu Liansheng understood"Euthanasia"But in the face of Xia Suwen's painful wail on the hospital bed, he still couldn't refuse. Eventually, he nodded in agreement, and one of them said 100 mg"Compound hibernating spirit"and a family notice put an end to the matter.
Wang Mingcheng and his sister signed the prescription and sent their suffering mother away. However, Wang Mingcheng's eldest sister also involved her younger brother Pu Liansheng because she asked the hospital to compensate for her mother's unnatural death.
Wang Mingcheng indignantly accused Pu Liansheng of losing his medical ethics, causing him to lose his last chance to meet his mother. Pu Liansheng was surprised by this, because he had not had much contact with Wang Mingcheng's two sisters before, and he thought that this decision of "euthanasia" should be discussed by all family members.
However, he only got the consent of Wang Mingcheng's sister and did not communicate with his two sisters. At this time, Pu Liansheng was detained and felt innocent. It was only out of respect for the patient and considering that Wang Mingcheng was Xia Suwen's immediate relative that he agreed to let his mother be relieved as soon as possible.
In fact, it has nothing to do with Pu Liansheng's "intentional homicide".
Pu Liansheng appealed to a higher court, requesting a new trial of the verdict. This case is the first case involving "euthanasia" in China, and due to the lack of relevant legal provisions, the court's verdict on Pu Liansheng and Wang Mingcheng is still undetermined.
This case has aroused widespread discussion in Hanzhong City, and it is divided into two camps, one group of people supports "euthanasia" and believes that Pu Liansheng's behavior is correct, and the other group opposes "euthanasia" and believes that Pu Liansheng is guilty of "euthanasia".
On March 16, 1990, the Hanyang Intermediate People's Court** heard the case, and after investigation, it was found that "compound hibernating ling" was a cautionary drug, and the medical lethal dose was 800mg, not 100mg.
Therefore, the court found that Xia Suwen's death was due to illness and not "euthanasia".
After 492 days of suffering, Pu Liansheng was finally acquitted on May 6, 1991. Although he has regained his freedom, his state of mind has changed drastically.
Even after his acquittal, the local People's Procuratorate appealed against him, although these appeals were dismissed. However, just like the procuratorate, there are many people around Pu Liansheng who cannot understand his actions and think that he is guilty.
Even after returning to the hospital, he was often talked about by his colleagues, and the position of director he should have been revoked, and it may have become impossible to go further on the road of becoming a doctor.
To make matters worse, some of his relatives and friends have cut off contact with him.
The story of Pu Liansheng and Wang Mingcheng reminds us that before the legislation was enacted in our country"Euthanasia"It is not a medical treatment, and there may be legal risks associated with its implementation. Therefore, we recommend that doctors should be extra cautious when dealing with such problems to avoid unnecessary troubles caused by breaking the law.
Although some people may kneel or go out for this, we must adhere to medical ethics and legal regulations, and resolutely resist any illegal medical practices.
The euthanasia case of Xia Suwen of Wang Mingcheng's family is the first case involving euthanasia in China, which has triggered people's in-depth thinking about life and ethics. However, there never seems to be a right or wrong question about whether or not to choose death, but rather whether it is appropriate and deserved.
As the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said, I will do my best and judgment, for the sake of the interests of my patients, and treat them with medical skills, and never have any thoughts.
The Hippocrates Oath is a testament to the health care workers' commitment to life.
Taiwanese sports anchor Fu Daren died peacefully in Switzerland in 2018 due to pancreatic cancer, accompanied by his children. He struggled for two years, and on his deathbed said, "Goodbye, farewell so long."
Fu Daren and his loved ones opted for euthanasia, which they thought was the best way they could find. The issue of euthanasia has always been a controversial topic, with some considering it a moral and ethical issue, while others consider it an institutional issue.