Euthanasia

21.06.2025

Euthanasia

Context

In June 2025, the UK passed a law legalizing assisted dying for terminally ill patients. This has triggered a renewed debate in India, where passive euthanasia is legal but active euthanasia is not. The discussion now focuses on whether India should revisit its own legal framework.

About the News (UK's Law)

1. UK legalized assisted dying for terminally ill adults
    → Adults with less than six months to live can now choose medically assisted death.
2. Applies only in England and Wales
    → Other parts of the UK, like Scotland, are not covered under this law.
3. Involves doctors, courts, and written consent
    → The decision must pass through medical and legal scrutiny.
4. Law passed after being debated since 2013
    → Multiple failed attempts over the years finally led to approval in 2025.
    

Types of Euthanasia

1. Active Euthanasia
 This involves directly ending a patient's life through medical means, such as giving a lethal injection.

• Voluntary – With patient’s consent.
   Example: A terminal cancer patient requests a doctor to administer a life-ending drug.
• Non-voluntary – Patient can't give consent.
   Example: A person in a permanent coma is given euthanasia based on family decision.
• Involuntary – Done against the patient's will.
   Example: A mentally sound patient is euthanised without consent (often considered illegal).
   

2. Passive Euthanasia
 This means stopping life-support or treatment so the patient dies naturally.

Example: Turning off a ventilator for a brain-dead patient or stopping feeding in end-stage dementia.
 It is usually based on advance directives or family consent when the patient can't decide.

Key Features (Compared to India)

1. Only passive euthanasia allowed in India
    → Withdrawal of treatment is allowed, not direct action to end life.
2. The Supreme Court approved it in 2018 (Common Cause case vs Union of India (2018).
    → Recognized Right to Die with Dignity under Article 21.
3. Only terminally ill patients in a vegetative state are covered
    → Patients must be in an irreversible medical condition.
4. Living Will allowed by law
    → A person can record their wish to refuse life support in the future.
5. Approval by medical board is mandatory in India
    → Passive euthanasia requires multiple doctors’ agreement.
6. No law on active euthanasia in India yet
    → Deliberate actions to end life (like lethal injections) remain illegal.
    

Challenges for India

1. Moral and religious resistance to euthanasia
    → Many oppose it as against life values, especially in rural and religious communities.
2. Low awareness of Living Will
    → Even educated people don’t know how or when to use this legal tool.
3. Risk of misuse in absence of strict safeguards
    → Poor patients or elderly may be pressured into choosing death.
4. Lack of trained medical ethics boards
    → Few hospitals have proper systems for evaluating euthanasia cases.
    

Way Forward for India

1. Promote public awareness of passive euthanasia laws
    → Educate citizens about Living Wills and legal protections.
2. Set up clear national guidelines for doctors
    → Define steps hospitals and ethics boards must follow uniformly.
    
3. Expand palliative care infrastructure
    → Improve pain management and end-of-life support, reducing the demand for euthanasia.
4. Open dialogue on active euthanasia with safeguards
    → Learn from the UK and Netherlands to discuss carefully regulated legal options.
    

Conclusion

India’s legal journey on euthanasia is cautious yet progressive. While passive euthanasia is allowed, the debate on assisted dying remains open. With rising public awareness and international developments like the UK’s new law, India may need to revisit and strengthen its policies to ensure a balance between compassion, consent, and care.