2011, Vol.12, No.2

Journal of the Korea Bioethics Association 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.55

pISSN : 1598-0324
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kba

If the suicide rate keeps increasing without any measures at social level, under the current situation where rapid aging is clearly predicted, Korea's society will face not only the problems in the welfare for the elderly but also the serious problems in the maintenance and the stability of the entire society. Thus, the interest in the suicide of the elderly and the systematic studies about that are the urgent tasks and challenges for our society. Thus, to prevent and eliminate the occurrence of these problems in advance, it is urgently needed to pay attention to the phenomenon of rapid growth of the suicide rate of the elderly, investigate the state and the causes precisely, analyze them and reflect on ourselves, accordingly. Thus, this study took note of the phenomenon of the rapid growth of the suicide rate of the elderly based on this critical mind, and then analyzed the social matters that had been already established acting as the motives for suicide in the other side of that phenomenon in the ethical aspect. Of course, many complex factors will increase the suicide rate, but the study focused more on the representative social motives and then analyzed that in the ethical aspect. First, the rapid fluctuations of the society made individualism overflow and it led to the suicide of the elderly. Second, due to the capitalism and the utilitarianism deeply rooted into our society, the life of the elderly was switched from the sacred value of life to an economic value. This eventually led to the birth of the perception, 'the elder is the useless being' and the life of the elderly are oppressed. Third, the relationship network in our society acting based on 'filial duty', the traditional Confucian value, has been disrupted and the individuals buried in the family groups as Confucian value pursued the independence as 'independent I' and, as a result, the responsibilities in the aspect of social exchange relationship has collapsed. Thus, this acts as the motives for the elderly who had lost their base of support to chose the suicide as an extreme measure. Lastly, the concept of autonomy that has been looked up as a divine norm in the secular ethics since Kant made people believe they have the right to make a decision on their life. In other words, living or dying is a matter of autonomous choice for them. It is considered that 'the myth of autonomy' winged by the secular ethics eventually supports the suicide of the elderly.

The purpose of this paper lies in looking through the conformity of ethical revolution suggested by Peter Singer and finding out if proper alternatives are suggested for contemporary ethical dilemma. He would give up the traditional morality and intend to achieve a Copernican Revolution on the ethics. Singer is going to challenge that all human being life is holy through Copernicus revolution on the ethics. This paper intend Singer's clams that a human being and an animal is qualitatively different at a point of view of a soul and the reason. I examine that his claim is conformal and show the alternative plan appropriate for modern ethical dilemma. In addition, I thinks all human being life that an existing point of view to be holy can be maintained. The life of all human beings is what is holier than animal life by the phase that I made the peculiarity that a human being occupies in ecosystem not an existing theological viewpoint. This article will examine what is human being on Singer's ethics. Singer solves a problem of the medical ethics with his peculiarity position on what is human being. He thinks that the concept to be called a human being must define it in a meaning called person again. The standard that is decisive for God for human life here is rational person with the self-consciousness immediately. Singer insists that Joseph Fletcher's list of personality is enough to be indicater of person. However I consider it whether I should be able to accept self-consciousness, oneself control, a future feeling, the past feeling, another ability, interest in another person.

The principle requiring physicians to obtain a patient’s informed consent before undertaking treatment is relatively young, having first appeared in recognizable, relatively robust form only in 1957. The doctrine of informed consent in health care shared in the more general expansion of American tort liability that proceeded well into the 1980’s and that now appears to have stabilized. There is a long history of biomedical research conducted on human subjects worldwide. This article overviews principle of law not only legal principle the process which develops with principle of medical treatment life ethics under investigating should have been boiled. Informed consent having the side which respects a democratic human relation and trade name being understood, first, informed consent doing based on own decisive power respect of the patient, situation of the United States which this principle of law confirms at prerequisite and develops is an open pipe grudge.Second, informed consent look at the modern art of the doctrinal debate on the impact of life changes in health care is to review and influence.