(Image source from: Aninews.in)
Euthanasia: This is a practice of intentionally ending the life of someone to relieve the suffering, typically in cases when the patient/person is suffering from great pain or illness. The word Euthanasia is a Greek word eu(good) and Thanatos (death), which is nothing but good death instead of slow, painful and undignified death. Many countries including India will practice this process. On August 20th, the Supreme Court was disappointed and did not accept the plea of a 31-year-old man for euthanasia. The petitioner was 31 years old, and suffered a head injury 11 years before, when he fell from the fourth floor of his paying guest house, while he was studying for his graduation. Since 2013, the person has been bedridden and has been suffering from diffuse axonal injury with a permanent vegetative state, Quadriplegia with 100 per cent disability. The petitioner asked the court to permit euthanasia as his parents are aged and are unable to take care of him due to financial issues and also age-related obligations. Active euthanasia is not permitted in India and Chief Justice DY CHandrachud along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra said that this euthanasia does not fall under passive euthanasia.
CJI has dismissed the petition. But asked the union government to look into such incidents.CJI noted that the petitioner is not completely on life support and is alive. His parents were unable to take care of him and the court possibility of providing him with better treatment and also additional care facilities. CJI said, “We issue notice to the Union of India, we request Ms Aishwarya Bhatti to assist us. We will see if we can keep him somewhere else, it's a very hard case”. During the same hearing, the petitioner also requested the judge for medical assistance at a good hospital as the euthanasia was dismissed. The order was first dismissed in the Delhi High Court, where the court dismissed it after examining the patient with medical practitioners.
Justice Subramonium Prasad said, the patient does not fall under euthanasia, as he is sustaining himself without any external aid. Sadly, the patient also developed deep and large bed sores which are even causing further infection. The court stated that if we remove the food pipe, we are letting the petitioner starve and die, but not giving them a respectable death. The court said, “The Petitioner is not on any life support system and the Petitioner is surviving without any external aid. While the Court sympathizes with the parents, as the Petitioner is not terminally ill, this Court cannot intervene and allow consideration of a prayer that is legally untenable”. However, the court has asked the government to look for some institutions, like shifting him to an institution for better care and treatment.
