Sign In
Learn bits
Health & Medicine
Mahesh

07/09/24 10:34 AM IST

Passive euthanasia

In News
  • In 2011, the Supreme Court for the first time recognised the legality of passive euthanasia in the case of Aruna Ramchandra Shanbaug v Union of India.
Aruna Shanbaug case
  • In 2011, the Supreme Court for the first time recognised the legality of passive euthanasia in the case of Aruna Ramchandra Shanbaug v Union of India.
  • After being sexually assaulted by a ward attendant of Mumbai’s KEM Hospital in 1973 and suffering a brain injury in the process, nurse Aruna Shanbaug was left in a ‘persistent vegetative state’ for decades, with no possibility of recovery.
  • The court, while ruling out passive euthanasia in this case, held that Shanbaug was still alive as she did not require life support.
  • However, the court recognised the legality of passive euthanasia, though it clarified that this could only be done with the approval of a High Court.
  • In 2018, the Supreme Court recognised the legality of ‘passive euthanasia’ for terminally-ill patients, holding that the ‘right to die with dignity’ forms a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
  • The court also laid down detailed guidelines for passive euthanasia, both in cases where the patient left an ‘advance directive’ or a ‘living will’ stating that life support should be withdrawn if they fall terminally ill, and in cases where no such directive was left behind.
  • Among the guidelines was the condition that the living will must be signed in the presence of two witnesses and signed by a Judicial Magistrate.
  • The guidelines also called for multiple approvals before the terminally ill patient’s case is cleared – from the treating physician, a suitably qualified medical board, and another external medical board, with representation from the local administration.
  • In the case of patients without a living will, the family has to give their consent for withdrawal of life support.
  • In 2019, the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine filed an application for modifying these guidelines, stating that they were cumbersome and unworkable.
  • In 2023, another five-judge bench allowed the guidelines to be modified in a number of ways.
  • This included introducing timelines for each board to make a decision, and limiting the involvement of the Judicial Magistrate.

More Related Current Affairs View All

14 Nov

India’s tea, sugar exports raise sustainability concerns at home

'India is one of the world’s largest agricultural product exporters.' The Indian agricultural export is valued at $53.1 billion in 2022-2023, up from $8.7 billion in 2004-

Read More

14 Nov

Superbugs and the looming public health crisis

'LESS than a hundred years ago, antibiotics ushered in an era that transformed medical care.' It saved millions of lives and accelerated the development and use of complex surge

Read More

13 Nov

Healthy longevity initiative

'The World Bank report proposes a healthy longevity initiative (HLI) which takes a life course approach.' Briefly, healthy longevity entails sharply reducing avoidable death and

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps