EUTHANASIA OR mercy killing or Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is the bringing about of the gentle death of a patient in the case of a painful, chronic and incurable disease. Now, all these adjectives are of equal importance. A painful disease is one in which the patient suffers unbearable and excruciating pain. A chronic disease is a long lasting one and an incurable disease is one whose cure has not been found till date.
Netherlands was one of the first countries to legalize euthanasia followed by Canada, state of Oregon in USA and Columbia. The state of Oregon has a ‘Death with Dignity’ law, which has been in place for almost 10 years. It has allowed terminally ill patients to take legal, proscribed medication to end their suffering. The legalizing of euthanasia has been a bone of contention throughout the world and will continue to do so but no one asks a terminally ill patient the kind of pain he goes through. The individual should have at least the right to choose a graceful death for himself. Why should he be allowed to keep suffering day and night?
The essence of human life is to be able to live a dignified life but when some law forces you to live in intense pain and humiliation, there is something wrong with our society. Who are we to prolong the life of one who is suffering and has decided without any undue pressure that he would like to be put to rest? Obviously legalization of euthanasia should not include anyone wanting to end their life at the flimsiest of excuses but a patient should be allowed to decide when he has suffered enough.
Apart from the miserable pain, that the patient goes through, the trauma and the emotional turmoil his relatives go through is also immense. To see your close ones suffering and going through pain is not an easy sight. You wish the laws should be changed. After all as an individual, you decide where to marry, you decide where to work, and at the last hurdle of your life, you should be allowed to choose how do you want to end your life.
But this question cannot be answered so easily. The science of medicine has over the years seen miracles taking place. As long as the patient lives, there is hope. And as long as there is hope, anything can happen. With the new technological advancements taking place all around the globe, we could have cures for diseases like AIDS, cancer etc.
On the other hand, the chances of the legalization being misused are also very high. What if the patient is in coma and is unable to make a decision, should the relatives be allowed to make it? This is the era of family disputes over property and money. People could also get away with cold-blooded murder. Legalising voluntary Euthanasia would lead to involuntary euthanasia. In this society, full of greed and corruption anything is possible.
In a country like ours, the religious aspects also have to be considered before taking such decisions. The Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill” And even Islam does not allow anyone to take away life. Is our society mature enough to understand the implications of this? We have cases, where doctors are often beaten up if the patient was not treated properly, what would happen to a doctor if he merely suggested Euthanasia to the relatives? Will the relatives be able to understand the suffering of the patient?
Life is a gift, and even a life of pain is a life at least. Some people feel we don’t choose when to be born and we should not be given the right to choose when to die. On the contrary, others feel that a life of pain is not a life but an imposition and we should be at least allowed to end it in a dignified peaceful manner. Euthanasia could be legalized, but the laws would have to be very stringent. Every case will have to be carefully monitored taking into consideration the point of views of the patient, the relatives and the doctors. But whether Indian society is mature enough to face this, after all it’s a matter of life and death, is yet to be seen.
