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In China, only the patients’ family members or surrogates can make the decision to limit treatment. At present, only a small number of families informed of treatment for their loved ones in hopeless cases take the initiative to make the decision to withdraw treatment, in order to alleviate the suffering of patients. Most families that make the decision to withdraw treatment do so for economic reasons, and most of them come from rural areas. They have to pay a higher proportion of medical costs by themselves, and these costs can leave them in poverty. Xue and Zhu showed that economic condition was the key factor in deciding whether to forgo treatment.

The Supreme Court confirms for the first time the right to euthanasia for a 43-year-old woman. Ana Estrada, who has been suffering from a rare form of pneumonia since the age of twelve, had obtained - the first in the history of the country - the first green light in February from a court in Lima