婴儿尊严死的法律问题研究--以Charlie Gard案为切入

On the Legal Issues of Death with Dignity for Infants:Taking the Case of Charlie Gard as a Starting Point

在某些重症场合,延长生命长度并非医疗决策的唯一决定因素,生命质量的考量也已被国内外司法实践所认可。生命质量说为婴儿尊严死提供了前提条件,也即并非在任何情况下都必须维持重症婴儿的生命。对于重症婴儿生命质量的判断,由于其同时作为父母的子女和医生的患者,从家事法和医事法的双重角度,最佳利益原则都应当适用于此情况。但最佳利益原则具有不确定性,故必须在具体案件中考量各种相关因素。为便于此种考量,法律应归纳列举给予医疗措施将不符合婴儿的最佳利益的具体情形,同时法律还应建立婴儿尊严死的程序保障机制。

In certain cases of severe diseases,prolonging life length is not the only determinant of healthcare decision-making,and the consideration of quality of life has been recognized by judicial practice.The theory of quality of life provides a precondition for the infant to die with dignity,that is,it is not necessary to maintain the life of an infant with severe diseases under all circumstances.For the judgment of the quality of life of an infant with severe diseases,the principle of best interest should be applied to him/her from the perspective of family law and medical law since he/she is both his/her parent’s child and his/her doctor’s patient.However,the principle of the best interest is uncertain,so it is necessary to considerate the relevant factors in certain cases.In order to facilitate this consideration,the law should summarize and list the circumstances in which medical treatment would not be in the best interest of the infant.At the same time,the law should establish procedural safeguards mechanism for death with dignity for infants.