(Ecns.cn)--A man was indicted recently after killing his mother, who had been paralyzed for twenty years.
Mr. Deng reported to the police on May 16 in Fanyu District of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, saying his mother had passed away of "natural causes" in the apartment they rented.
However, forensic testing later showed that Deng's mother had died of organophosphorous poisoning, a substance commonly found in pesticides.
The investigation found that 70-year-old Mrs. Li had been confined to her sickbed for twenty years and had asked her 41-year-old son to "put her out of her misery."
Deng said he had refused at first, but was later convinced by his mother, who was obviously in great pain.
Neighbors told investigators that Deng had been a loyal son, and only did it because his mother was suffering and had asked him to.
Nonetheless, Deng had deprived his mother of the right to live by committing murder, which is punishable by law, the prosecutor said. The Fanyu District Procuratorate arrested Deng on May 31.
Deng's arrest reminded the public of another mercy killing that took place in 2009, when Wen Yuzhang removed the life support tubes attached to his wife Hu Jing, who lay in a coma.
Hu had fainted at her home in Shenzhen, also in Guangdong Province, on Feburary 9, 2009. Although she was rushed to the hospital's ICU, she never regained consciousness.
"She still has blood pressure and a pulse, but she is in a coma and her life is dependent on a breathing machine," a nurse told Wen, who broke down in tears before removing the tubes from his wife.
Despite intervention from nurses and doctors, Wen guarded his wife, making it impossible for staff to hook the tubes back up. "She's in pain!" screamed Wen.
Wen was sentenced to three years in prison with three year's probation by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on December 9, 2009.
Li Yan, a 33 year-old terminal cancer patient, said people should have the right to die.
Li is from north China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and has suffered from motor neuron disease, known as a "super cancer," since she was an infant. She "lost motor function in her entire body" and is incapable of performing basic bodily functions without assistance.
"I treasure life, but I don't want to live," Li wrote in her blog.
Li Yan is now the founder of a union appealing for legalized euthanasia. The union's 24 members are all chronically ill or suffering from severe physical conditions such as paraplegia. Li also runs a popular blog that has gotten about 210,000 hits since it was launched in 2007.
The best part of her day, Li said, is when she works on her blog. She shares news about the legislative progress abroad, updates an online diary and connects with people who show interest or express concerns about euthanasia.
Many visitors leave messages on the blog, encouraging Li to hold onto her beliefs.
"To live a quality life requires dignity. I support you and I want to be the first to undertake euthanasia in China," wrote one person.
