人生的旅程中,脫不開「生、老、病、死」的四個階段。一般人汲汲營生,鮮少認真地思考 死亡的問題。生與死本是都是每個生命體所必定經歷的,與其閃躲逃避,等到問題驟降時錯愕, 不如以慎重的態度去探討。把「死亡」也列入生命歷程中的計畫,才是最正確的態度。 本文先從安樂死的意義以及思想淵源做出發,將本文討論的範圍訂定在積極性的安樂死以及 消極性的安樂死兩種類型,且援引學者對於此二種分類之相關論述作為論述之依據。再藉由各種 宗教,包括基督教、伊斯蘭教、佛教,以及中國儒道兩家對於生死議題之論述,分析其對待 安樂死這個議題可能的態度。並透過各國在安樂死議題上的歷史沿革與立法背景,研究學者間 支持安樂死合法化及其反對之立論基礎。 其次,透由我國加工自殺罪與安寧緩和醫療條例之定義、立法沿革做介紹,且針對安寧療護 在台灣發展的概況,以及安寧緩和醫療條例在立法上的缺漏做分析。 最後,透過分析安樂死的實際案例,並引用相關統計數字為依據,尋找安樂死在 現在社會中合法化的基礎。
The journey of life is inseparable from birth, aging, illness, and death. Most of us are busy making the ends meet and thus seldom take the time to contemplate death. Life and death is something every life form must face, and discussing them with discreetness is certainly better than ignoring them and being caught by surprise. Making death a part of our life plan is the right way to proceed. In this dissertation, we examine the meaning of euthanasia and its origin. We will focus on the discussion of active and passive euthanasia and make reference to relevant, past literatures. We then look at the relevant discussions on euthanasia in different religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and the Chinese Confucianism and Taoism. By examining the history and legislation regarding euthanasia in different nations, we will also discuss how different scholars support or reject it. In addition, the definitions and origins of Taiwan’s regulations regarding assistance suicide and hospice service are explained. The current status of hospice service in Taiwan is discussed, and its legal problems are also analyzed. Lastly, by examining actual cases of euthanasia, we will also make reference to relevant statistics and determine the basis for its legalization in our modern society.