EUTHANASIA- is basically a question of life and death. The issue came into light in India, when former chess champion, K. Venkatesh was terminally ill and died on December 17; 2004 after a futile wait for the court to accept his plea for Euthanasia, so that he could donate his organs after his death. But, Indian Law allows organ donation only if a person is declared Brain dead. It was his mother who decided to move to the Supreme Court to amend the Human Organ Transplant Act and legalize mercy killing in India.
Euthanasia is a process of painlessly helping a terminally ill person to die. Generally it is performed by using Lethal Injection using same drugs as those on death row are executed. Euthanasia is accomplished by a method that produces rapid unconsciousness and subsequent death without pain or distress.
Human Rights Activists are totally against this mercy killing. According to them, people who insist for Euthanasia are under lot of stress. They feel that if a person is leading a life of utmost misery and has no hopes for recovery then they could persist for mercy killing. Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) says that attempted suicide is a criminal offence but it keeps mum on the subject of euthanasia.
Netherlands and Belgium are the only two countries which have attempted to make mercy killing legal. USA, Australia and other countries including India have shunned away from the mere idea of legalizing euthanasia. It is the fear of misusing the Law which is holding back many experts from legalizing it in India.
It is basically a conflict between - Ethical and Legal. Also, the Hippocratic Oath in the medical profession seems another hold back. Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine stated in 400 B.C, “I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor suggest any such counsel”. Today, doctors are still bound by this oath and feel that till the end patients should be treated and people should not resort to mercy killing.
If it is legalized all innocent people will be pushed into the gallows of death. Confusion may arise from the fact that attempting suicide is not a Criminal Act. If it is legalized it would concentrate on a particular sect of vulnerable individuals and this could be discriminatory.
Therefore no law has been made in India to legalize mercy killing as it would reflect a major part of our society. What is needed is more care for all so that no one feels the need to be killed. It is outrageous to propose this. It is necessary to demean the idea of legalizing mercy killing in INDIA…..
Euthanasia is a process of painlessly helping a terminally ill person to die. Generally it is performed by using Lethal Injection using same drugs as those on death row are executed. Euthanasia is accomplished by a method that produces rapid unconsciousness and subsequent death without pain or distress.
Human Rights Activists are totally against this mercy killing. According to them, people who insist for Euthanasia are under lot of stress. They feel that if a person is leading a life of utmost misery and has no hopes for recovery then they could persist for mercy killing. Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) says that attempted suicide is a criminal offence but it keeps mum on the subject of euthanasia.
Netherlands and Belgium are the only two countries which have attempted to make mercy killing legal. USA, Australia and other countries including India have shunned away from the mere idea of legalizing euthanasia. It is the fear of misusing the Law which is holding back many experts from legalizing it in India.
It is basically a conflict between - Ethical and Legal. Also, the Hippocratic Oath in the medical profession seems another hold back. Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine stated in 400 B.C, “I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor suggest any such counsel”. Today, doctors are still bound by this oath and feel that till the end patients should be treated and people should not resort to mercy killing.
If it is legalized all innocent people will be pushed into the gallows of death. Confusion may arise from the fact that attempting suicide is not a Criminal Act. If it is legalized it would concentrate on a particular sect of vulnerable individuals and this could be discriminatory.
Therefore no law has been made in India to legalize mercy killing as it would reflect a major part of our society. What is needed is more care for all so that no one feels the need to be killed. It is outrageous to propose this. It is necessary to demean the idea of legalizing mercy killing in INDIA…..
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