Shanghai accepts wills on dying with dignity

The China Will Registration Center has started taking applications from people in Shanghai who want to make pre-medical arrangements of their death.

The arrangements do not confine to those with terminal illnesses or who are close to the end of their lives, but can be applied by healthy people as well.

Shenzhen, in the province of Guangdong, was the first city in China to pass a law in July that lets people with terminal illnesses refuse "excessive life-saving treatment" and die with respect and comfort.

According to a revised draft of Shanghai's medical treatment regulation passed in June, patients with terminal diseases or at the end of their lives can create advanced care directives, or living wills, that reject artificial life-support treatments such as tube feeding or cardiopulmonary resuscitation to prolong life, giving them the right to choose how they die.

"Since the revised draft sparked a heated national debate on social media, we've received an increasing number of inquiries from residents about this type of will registration," Tang Tingting, director of the China Will Registration Center's legal affairs department, said.

"We've started the trial, and the service allows residents to record friendly videos."

"The service's goal is to improve people's quality of life and protect their dignity," Tang explained.

When registering their wills, applicants must exercise extreme caution.

The process for registering this type of will is mostly the same as for others. This includes early communication, signing the entrustment agreement, writing the will, confirming and registering the will, and the center keeping the will.

The center stated that it would provide the service in collaboration with medical treatment facilities.

It also urged other cities to follow Shenzhen's footsteps and pass similar legislation.

People in China often keep their sick or elderly parents alive out of fear of being blamed for not showing filial piety.

China Will Registration Center, which was founded in 2013, has approximately 60 branches across the country, three of which are in Shanghai.

The new service, according to the center, will involve all branches.