Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the practice of terminating the life of a person or animal in a painless or

minimally painful way.

Euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for
his or her alleged benefit.

Laws around the world vary greatly with regard to euthanasia and are constantly subject
to change as cultural values shift and better palliative care or treatments become
available. It is legal in some nations, while in others it may be criminalized.

Terminology: - It is often difficult to discuss euthanasia because there are so many

different kinds of it:

Euthanasia by means

It includes passive, non-aggressive, and aggressive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is

withholding common treatments (such as antibiotics, drugs, or surgery) or giving a
medication (such as morphine) to relieve pain, knowing that it may also result in death.
Non-aggressive Euthanasia is the practice of withdrawing life support and is more
controversial. Aggressive Euthanasia is using lethal substances or force to kill and is the
most controversial means.

Euthanasia by consent

It includes involuntary, non-voluntary, and voluntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia

is euthanasia against someone’s will and is often considered murder. This kind of
euthanasia is usually considered wrong by both sides and is rarely debated. Non-
voluntary euthanasia is when the person is not competent to or unable to make a decision
and it is thus left to a relative or well-wisher. This is highly controversial, because a
patient might have number of relatives who would want to decide for the patient.
Voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia with the person’s direct consent.

Reasons given for Voluntary Euthanasia:

• Choice: - Choice is a democratic principle and each individual has the right to decide
the faith of his life.
• Financial: - It is a burden to keep people alive past the point they can contribute to
society.
• Pain: - The pain and suffering a person feels during a disease can be incomprehensible,
even with pain relievers, to a person who has not gone through it. Society should not be
able to force them to endure such hardship.
• Resources: - Today in many countries there is a shortage of hospital space. The energy
of doctors and hospital beds could be used for people whose lives could be saved
instead of continuing the life of those who want to die.
Reasons given against Voluntary Euthanasia:

• Hippocratic Oath: - Every doctor swears that he shall not assist in killing of any human
being or prescribe a drug that may cause death
• Moral: - Some people consider euthanasia of some or all types to be morally
unacceptable. This view usually treats euthanasia to be a type of murder and voluntary
euthanasia as a type of suicide.
• Theological: - Many religions and modern religious interpretations regard both
euthanasia and suicide as sinful acts.
• Competence: - Euthanasia can only be considered "voluntary" if a patient is mentally
competent to make the decision, i.e., has a rational understanding of options and
consequences. Competence can be difficult to determine or even define.

Euthanasia in India

The debate about legalising euthanasia in India has been continuing for a long time. Here
are some important points-

The Legal Aspect

While section 309 of the IPC says that attempted suicide is a criminal offense, it says
nothing about euthanasia. It is the fear of misusing the law, which is holding back many
experts from legalising it. It is again, a conflict between the humane, the ethical and the
legal.

A Personal Choice
The right to die should be a personal choice. But if euthanasia is made legal, there always
will be those who will try to bend the law and exploit ignorant patients. That is a big risk.

A Doctor’s Duty
The Hippocratic oath in the medical profession seems to be another hold-back. Doctors
are expected to treat a patient to the best of our ability. Whether they have a right to take
anybody’s life is a serious question because they are supposed to offer hope even in the
worst situation.

A Necessity
There is another view from the medical community. “Legalising euthanasia is a necessity
for doctors. However the criteria should be very stringent and the application should be
carefully monitored.

The Downside
Generally people who attempt suicide or want to commit euthanasia are under a lot of
emotional stress. For example a patient receiving chemotherapy might want to end his
life because of the physical and mental trauma but once he feels better, he might change
his mind. Decisions in case of such patients are fluctuate. Also relatives can use the law
to achieve their own interests.

Moral Responsibility
It is definitely time when we accept euthanasia though in a very restricted sense as it
involves a high degree of moral responsibility. Earlier people were against organ
transplant but gradually the society has grown to accept it.
Making A Foolproof System
If a person is leading a life of misery with no hopes of recovery, a medical and social
enquiry should be allowed. There should be a body to certify that the patient needs
euthanasia. But legislators should make it absolutely fool proof, as there is a great risk of
bogus certificates being issued here.

Genocide
It has been considered a part of euthanasia and is also subject to similar debate. It can be
defined as: -
Deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or a cultural group.

Destruction of a culture and its people through physical extermination.

Comes from the word genus (race) and (cide), killing. It refers to the intentional,
systematic murder of all of the people in a targeted group. The 20th century is one of
recurrent genocide including the Armenians in World War I, the Jews during World War
II, and post-1945, genocides took place in many areas including Cambodia, Rwanda,
Guatemala and the former Yugoslavia.

Action T4
Was a program in Nazi Germany officially between 1939 and 1941, during which the
regime of Adolf Hitler systematically killed between 75,000 to 250,000 people with
intellectual or physicaldisabilities. Unofficially performed after 1941, the killing became
less systematic These killings operated under the direction of Philipp Bouhler, the head of
Hitler’s private chancellery and Dr Karl Brandt, Hitler’s personal physician.

The T4 program developed from the Nazi Party’s policy of “racial hygiene” the belief
that the German people needed to be “cleansed” of “racially unsound” elements, which
included people with disabilities. The program was a beginning which later Holocaust of
the Jews of Europe. The historian Ian Kershaw has called it “a vital step in the descent
into modern barbarism.”

The Rwandan Genocide

It was the 1994 mass extermination of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and
moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan
Civil War. This genocide was mostly carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups
during a period of about 100 days from April 6 through mid-July 1994. Over 500,000
Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus died in the genocide, with some reports
estimating the number of victims to be between 800,000 and 1,000,000.

Despite international news media coverage of the violence as it unfolded, most countries,
including France, belgium and theUnited States declined to intervene or speak out against
the massacres. Canada continued to lead the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda, Unted
Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). However, the UN did not authorize
UNAMIR to intervene or use force to prevent or halt the killing.
The Legal Framework

Considering that euthanasia is to be made legal, here are some conditions that the law
should include as necessities or the legal framework shoukd be as follows –

• the patient's suffering is unbearable with no prospect of improvement

• the patient's request for euthanasia must be voluntary and persist over time (the
request can not be granted when under the influence of others, psychological illness
or drugs)
• the patient must be fully aware of his/her condition, prospects and options
• there must be consultation with at least one other independent doctor who needs
to confirm the conditions mentioned above
• the death must be carried out in a medically appropriate fashion by the doctor or
patient, in which case the doctor must be present
• the patient is at least 12 years old (patients between 12 and 16 years of age require
the consent of their parents)