Although assisted suicide isn’t legal and doesn’t appear to become legalized in Thailand in the foreseeable future, the ability to choose a peaceful and natural passing is still an option.
The right to forego treatment or resuscitation that could prolong suffering is laid out in Section 12 of the National Health Act.
According to Thailand law firm Chaninat and Leeds, the law allows terminally-ill individuals to make a living will in writing to refuse medical treatment that would make them suffer more.
In these albeit rare cases, relatives and doctors are prohibited from going against the terminally-ill patient’s wishes of a natural death.
Just this week, the story of a terminally-ill Thai man who went to Switzerland seeking voluntary euthanasia, where the practice is legal, went viral on social media.
The man had incurable pain cancer, which had caused him suffering for many years.
The idea of euthanasia in Thailand is still a taboo idea, considering the Kingdom is a heavily Buddhist nation. Nevertheless, Thailand law does allow for living wills.
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