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Surgeons often have to make life or death decisions

The Right to Die? 死亡的权利？

How would you cope if you had a terminal illness? What if your son or daughter had no hope of ever having a normal life due to a life-threatening condition?

In the UK, the question of assisted suicide or refusing medical treatment is extremely divisive and controversial; euthanasia is illegal in Britain, as is the act of helping a terminally-ill person to kill themselves.

However, a 13-year-old English girl has won the right to refuse medical treatment this week after a hospital dropped a legal bid to force her to have a heart transplant.

Hannah Jones, who has spent eight years in and out of hospital battling leukaemia and heart problems, told child protection officers she wanted to die with dignity rather than face the operation and have to take constant medication afterwards.

Despite initial efforts by her local health authority to remove Hannah from her family and force her to undergo the transplant, legal and medical experts said that a child of her age was able to make an informed decision to refuse treatment.

Hannah’s decision to stop treatment and spend the rest of her life at home with her family was made entirely by herself, according to her father, who spoke of his admiration for her.

"Hannah made that decision consciously on her own, a bit like a grown up, even though she was only 12 at the time, and she has maintained that decision," said Andrew Jones.

The headmaster of Hannah’s school described her as intelligent and capable of making her own decisions.

"Her presence is a source of inspiration to us all through the courage and dignity that she displays," he said.

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GLOSSARY 词汇表 (收听发音, 请移到小喇叭上)  

terminal illness 晚期疾病

life-threatening condition 威胁生命的状况

assisted suicide （被）协助自杀

refusing medical treatment 拒绝治疗

divisive 导致分裂的

controversial 有争议的

euthanasia 安乐死

legal bid 法律命令

heart transplant 心脏移植

leukaemia 白血病

child protection officers 保护儿童官员

dignity 尊严

operation 手术

health authority 医疗

undergo 接受

admiration 仰慕

grown up 成年人

maintained 保持

source of inspiration 精神鼓舞的源泉

courage 勇气

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