Zhai Xiaomei, a professor of medical ethics at Peking Union Medical College, agreed: "This is a very serious matter, so the prerequisites need to be designed very carefully."
In a petition circulated online by Li Yan in 2007, she said euthanasia does not only free the terminally ill, but also their families.
"The torture for the family taking care of the patient is no less than that of the patient," she wrote. "Most families can't afford the huge medical costs and may fall into debt, even though there is no cure for the patient's illness."
This was the case for Zhang Xiaojun's family, which had spent more than 170,000 yuan ($27,300) on her treatment, according to her husband's brother.
"By late February 2011, my brother had sold his farm cattle and everything else he could to take his wife to hospitals in Lanzhou. Still, the doctors told them there was nothing they could do," Jia Shengli said.
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