Do You Support a Referendum on Euthanasia? Ko Wen-je’s Visit to Rare Disease Siblings Sparks Public Support — TPP to Propose Motion Next Tuesday

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) former chair Ko Wen-je recently shared a story on his YouTube channel about a Taiwanese individual who traveled to Switzerland to undergo euthanasia, reigniting public debate on the issue. Originally, the TPP intended to submit a referendum proposal on euthanasia on the 10th, but due to a typhoon-induced holiday, the plan has been rescheduled for the 14th.

In a video titled 'Is There Anything Else You Want to Say to This World?', Ko interviewed a brother and sister suffering from a rare hereditary neurological disease. The brother, whose legs had severely atrophied, expressed profound pain and hopelessness. He was scheduled to undergo euthanasia in Switzerland the day after the interview.

Following the release of the video, the TPP reported receiving overwhelming public support for euthanasia legalization. According to party legislators, Chair Huang Kuo-chang had already prepared the referendum proposal, and the caucus had held multiple internal meetings, reaching strong consensus. In addition to referendums on vote transfer and traffic fine allocation, the TPP intends to add the euthanasia referendum and push for direct second reading during the Legislative Yuan session. However, the session was postponed from the 10th to the morning of the 14th due to the typhoon.

Beyond the TPP, DPP legislator Chen Kuan-ting has also previously proposed a draft 'Euthanasia Act'. TPP legislator Chen Chao-tzu noted that the party has long received public appeals urging the swift passage of related legislation. The 'Dignified End-of-Life Act' has always been a priority for the TPP, but to broaden public support, they aim to submit it to a national referendum. She expressed confidence that the Central Election Commission will remain neutral and see no reason to block such a proposal.