Top court in India allows euthanasia
new delhi — India’s top court ruled on Friday that terminally ill patients have the right to refuse care, approving the use of “living wills” to set out how they want to be treated.
The Supreme Court’s order — hailed as “historic” by petitioners — means medical treatment can be withdrawn to hasten a person’s death, a practice known as passive euthanasia. The ruling means the family of some- one in a permanent vegetative state and unable to communicate could withdraw life support in accordance with the patient’s wishes.
The justices gave the green light to living wills, legal documents that allow adults to express their preference on how they want to be treated if they become terminally ill or slip into an incurable coma. It enshrines the right to refuse care, although under strictly controlled conditions.
“Life sans dignity is an unacceptable defeat and life that meets death with dignity is a value to be aspired for and a moment for celebration,” the five-judge bench, headed by India’s chief justice, said in its order. “The question that arises is should he not be allowed to cross the doors of life and enter, painlessly and with dignity, into the dark tunnel of death whereafter it is said that there is resplendence.” —
The guidelines [on passive euthanasia] will prevail until the government comes out with legislation. Supreme Court of India
trivandrum — Senior Kerala priests on Friday said the Supreme Court judgment, allowing terminally-ill patients passive euthanasia with conditions, could be misused.
Terming it “unfortunate and condemnable”, Kerala Catholic Bishop Conference (KCBC) president Archbishop Soosa Paikam said the verdict was “painful” and would have disastrous consequences.
“The right of life is in the hands of God. It was not acceptable for anyone who believes in humanity to kill a person suffering from old age or sickness due to sympathy,” he said. The order that stipulates guidelines to undergo passive euthanasia could be misused, Paikam said. People suffering from old-age and sickness should be taken care and protected to allow them a natural death, he said.
In Kochi, a senior priest of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church said legal recognition of ‘living will’ made by terminally-ill patients for passive euthanasia is against the Indian culture.
Father Paul Thelakkat, editor of the church-run Sathyadeepam magazine, said the church apprehends that the verdict could be misused as a right of dignified
No one has the right to put an end to human life. the ultimate aim of the medical science is to save life from death. Father Paul Thelakkat, Editor of church-run Sathyadeepam killing of terminally ill patients. “No one has the right to put an end to human life. The ultimate aim of the medical science is to save life from death. If we move away from this principle, there would be far-reaching repercussions in our society,” he said. Thelakkat, who was also a former spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Church, claimed that such laws were being widely misused in some developed countries, where doctors used it as a “tool to eliminate people.”
“In view of the Supreme Court verdict, I apprehend such a situation here also. All people have the right to lead a dignified natural life and to have a dignified natural death. Our stand is very clear... killings of people should not be allowed,” he said. According to Thelakkat, the Supreme Court may have laid down procedures to be followed for executing euthanasia but that it could be misused in a country like India.
“Life is sacred. It should have a dignified natural end. No one should be allowed to douse it. We have a history of misusing the laws made for human good. I apprehend that this law will also be subjected to such a misuse,” he said.
“This verdict is against the Indian culture which underlines the right to life,” Thelakkat said.
India should desist from implementing euthanasia, he said, adding, this has become a “fashion” in some countries.