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S. Korea's first mercy killing performed

Other News Materials 23 June 2009 07:47 (UTC +04:00)

A South Korean hospital on Tuesday removed the life-support device from a comatose patient, who had earlier been ruled with a right to "die with dignity.", Xinhua reported.
  

Seoul's Yonsei Severance Hospital said it officially turned off the respirator of the patient at 10:21 a.m. local time (0121 GMT), marking the first"mercy killing" in the country's history.
  

The hospital said that the mercy killing was performed in the presence of the patient's family, without disclosing to the public.
  

The 77-year-old female patient, who has been in a state of comatose since February last year, is yet to be declared dead, the hospital said.
  

The family of the patient has gone through a one-year-long court battles with the hospital for a right of "death-with-dignity, "and earned a court order to take off the life-support device.

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