Old man mercy killing his friend now faces charge
April 26th, 2011 by Olivia | Posted in News | 16 Comments »
This is a scene from the movie " If you are the one（非诚勿扰）" : "Li Xiangshan is diagnosed with incurable disease, his good friend Qin Fen helps him to die with dignity. Qin pushes Li in the wheelchair to the bow of a boat. When Li pats Qin’s hand, Qin gets the message, goes back into the cabin and leaves Li there. Later, Li drops himself in the sea to end his life.
In the movie, Qin helps his good friend with his wish of "euthanasia" and everybody ends happy. But an old man from Jiangxi province, who in real life helped his good friend "die with dignity" finds himself in a great trouble when he’s accused of murder.
Zeng Qingxiang’s body was found buried in the orchard of his friend, Zhong Yichun. "On Oct 19th, Zeng came to my house and told me he had bought sleeping pills to kill himself… He begged me to bury him and promised to give me 200 yuan for that… I know he’s suffering from disease, now that he was so determined to end his life, I can only say yes." Later that day, around 3pm, the two good friends searched around the village, looking for a good place as Zeng’s tomb.
After finding the tomb, Zeng dug a pit in the ground, took the sleeping pills and lay in the pit. Ten minutes later, Zhong called Zeng’s name with no answer, so he filled the pit and Zeng’s body with soil as they planned.
The police said, the pit is only 50 cm in depth and the soil on top of Zeng’s body is only 30 cm layer of loose soil, which means if Zeng was alive when buried, he could easily get out. The posture of the dead is also quite peaceful and natural with no signs of struggle. A few empty bottles of sleeping pills were also found at the scene. All these suggest, Zeng was willing to be buried.
Zeng was a victim of recurrent insanity. He shouted at his wife, and got violent sometimes. More than once, he has revealed to his friends about his thought of suicide. "He always said, his children were grown up and it was time he ended his life. If he died and was buried in the village, he could at least keep a whole body and save money."
"He was very thrifty. He knew if he passed away later, his children have to spend almost 5,000 yuan for the funeral and everything. He would rather died somewhere else and get buried in the ground, which can save his children a big sum of money." says, Zeng’s neighbor, Mr Zeng Xianting.
The court is still investigating to find out whether it is the sleeping pills or the burial that exactly killed Zeng. This will directly influence the result of Zhong Yichun’s sentence. But according to the presiding judge, because euthanasia is not legal in China, whatever motivation Zhong has to help his friend to commit suicide, he has already violated the law.
The Sea Inside (El mar dentro) is a real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.
"Euthanasia conducted with the consent of the patient is termed voluntary euthanasia. Active voluntary euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Passive voluntary euthanasia is legal throughout the U.S. per Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health."
Should euthanasia be made legal in China? This question is not to be avoided.
Tags: euthanasia, Jiangxi, Law, mercy killing, Murder
The guy who died supplied his own sleeping pills. the friend just acted as an undertaker and didn’t get a doctor to officially pronounce the friend as dead. If he’d just done that second part, everything would be OK.
Humans have the right to die. But, it seems that Zheng was struggling with mental health, his competence should be questioned. Certainly in this situation, the right thing to do was not to help Zheng with suicide, but to seek professional/medical help. Plus getting paid $200 to perform euthanasia definitely demonstrates conflict of interest.
Meg
“Humans have the right to die.”
And who grants this right? The state? Suicide is illegal in most if not all countries so definitely does not come from the state. Then who? Human do not have the right to die, altho communist tyrants, fat daddy Mao, thought he had the right to take any of their subject’s life…and the stank bastard took some 50+ million.
TAP SUM BONG!
Humans are free to end their own lives if they choose to do so. I am not condoning murder. I understand in some countries it is illegal to commit suicide. But having control over your own actions (as long as no one else’s rights are impinged upon in the process) is part of the fundamental principle of autonomy in ethics. Law doesn’t mean that it’s ethical or moral.
No need to use crude language.
Meg
“Humans are free to end their own lives if they choose to do so.”
True, just look at what Mao did. Doesn’t make it right does it?
“But having control over your own actions (as long as no one else’s rights are impinged upon in the process) is part of the fundamental principle of autonomy in ethics.”
A country like China where rule of law doesn’t exist and CCP is above the law, where ethics means capricious whims of the CCP?
“Law doesn’t mean that it’s ethical or moral.”
I agree. China does not have morals or ethics…just laws.
I’m just disagreeing with you that humans do not have the right to die. And concerning China you can’t say that one has the “right” to die since state doesn’t grant it and they sure as hell don’t believe in a deity (China is a-religious) that may give it. In China you just die, and you are just one cattle peasant that exist no more. As cruel as that sound modern China was built on the foundations of Materialism/Darwinian Evolution which puts humans just a bit higher (if it is higher at all) than say an ox.
TAP SUM BONG!
Humans will all die eventually. It’s common sense that we have the right to choose the time, place, and method, should be choose to. Just don’t inconvenience someone else…by jumping off a building and landing on someone else.
I don’t think you understand what Meg is saying. She’s saying that “Humans are free to end their *****OWN**** lives if they choose to do so.” That means if Mao wanted to kill himself, it’d be all good.
You’re talking about something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT (Mao’s atrocities, etc).
No country can stop anyone from committing suicide. Not if they really wanted to. The one’s doing half assed jobs of it are simply people craving attention….and causing trouble for other people. Best way to die: Find a very tall cliff with very sharp rocks at the bottom. Hopefully with nice large waves that will wash and recycle whats left of your carcass.
Still, you would think China would promote the removal of it’s useless surplus population. China wants younger able bodies, not an increasingly larger older population. That’s the impression i get based on many of it’s policies.
keius
“Humans will all die eventually”
Got that right. Mortally rate for everyone is 100%.
“It’s common sense that we have the right to choose the time, place, and method, should be choose to.”
What? Common sense? You have just committed a non sequitur: common sense has nothing to do with choice to take one’s life. And where does that right come from? Daddy Mao? CCP? Politburo? Who and What gives you that right? Are you pulling this right out of your ass?
“Just don’t inconvenience someone else…by jumping off a building and landing on someone else.”
As if dying in the privacy of your own home by swallowing sleeping pills is any less of an “inconvenience” for the people carrying your cold ass corpse out.
“I don’t think you understand what Meg is saying.”
I actually do know what Meg is saying. It’s YOU who have no idea what I am talking about. Meg and you are pulling out this right to die out your asses. THAT IS MY POINT. The fact that you guys are even talking about rights is indicative of western values (a la Judeo/Christian values). Chinese can’t claim that!
“That means if Mao wanted to kill himself, it’d be all good.”
Yes had Mao blew his brains out it would have been a good thing. Truth is that fat bastard lived too long. I would have picked up his brain matter for free.
“You’re talking about something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT (Mao’s atrocities, etc).”
Mao’s atrocity was not illegal in China because Mao was above the law…no wait he WAS the law. What Mao did was immoral and evil, but China being an atheistic country it cannot say anything about morals, only legality based on legislature CCP creates.
“Best way to die: Find a very tall cliff with very sharp rocks at the bottom.”
Good to know.
Its one thing to attempt suicide and yes no one can ultimate stop you from doing so. But you just can’t pull this “right to die” crap out of no where.
Sick of all these dumb assess spewing right to do “fill in the blank”.
TAP SUM BONG!
Korean_guy
You have the right to remain sexy.
TAP SUM BONG!
“You have the right to remain sexy.”
Pho Shizzle!
TAP SUM BONG!
Korean_guy, i totally agree with you!
Hey north_korean_guy, what is with you and chinese people? These things don’t just happen in China. They happen everywhere in the world. Your ability to bring up any negative news about China regarding ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is simply astounding.
Why do you try with such effort to criticize China? In North Korea, people disappear on a daily basis. People starve to death before they even have a chance at life. Why criticize other countries when your own is not so much better? Is Mao < Kim Jong il?
As well why shouldn't you be able to end your own life? Who should decide for you? God? (that perhaps doesn't exist?) The government? Time? Why let me ask you WHY should you not be able to dictate your own death? And don't answer by telling me how Mao was immoral and shit like that. It's really getting old.
Why can't you just pull the "right to die crap" off? or perhaps north_korean_guy you are under the influence that no one dies in this world unless time / higher entity says so? then wouldn't time / higher entity be the biggest dictator in this world? This conflicts highly with your "OMGOMG CHINA NO FREEDOM, CCP UP IN EVERYONES SHIT" beliefs.
I know you probably haven't gotten laid in your life before, but no need for all this rage silly boy. I know it's probably impossible to have a conversation with you because your brain is filled with so much hatred for China and nothing much else.
This is so wrong. He should be sentenced to death for burying his dead friend.
China has a culture of death. Abortion, suicide, One Child policy, and overall not valuing life. Why? People don’t seem to love their neighbors like they do in other countries. People don’t volunteer. Everyone is out for himself. That’s what communism and its evil policies does to people. I have volunteered in Chinese orphanages and people there are shocked that Americans care about those kids. Kids that are right there in their community and nobody cares about them. SAD.
Voluntary Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are illegal in all states and territories of Australia.
Korean_guy’s does not even present an argument that holds any sway in a debate on the subject. Any reference to Mao in relation to this subject is another attempt to justify his one sided view of all things Chinese.
Consider Hiroshima, after that event if Japan had of won the war then America would have been bastardised and that still would not be relative to this argument to say, “look at what Harry S Truman did killed a total 60 million people in ww2″.
Korean_guy atleast makes it clear he does not agree with one having the right to die without attempting to deficate on the Chinese (well to some extent).
What would be good if it was possible to have a construct argument here without racial overtones and the same interjections about attrocities commited by key political figures throughout history. What nation has not commited attrocities against another at some point of time?
Korean_guy I know you are intelligent, obviously many of us are interested in your point of view in relation to the many articles that air here but is it possible for you to argue a point without denigrating everything Chinese?
Dont know why its nessecary to bring Mao into this at all? I dont think its a China/Chinese thing only.
To me, under certain circumstances, commiting Euthanasia is a sign of deep affection towards the deathly ill friend/partner. There is nothing inhumane about it.
And who gives a fuck what that Korean_Guy has to say anyway, he is nothing but a retarded Borderline Psychtic who seeks attention. Pathetic