The Supreme Court of India, by validating euthanasia and Living Will, has only followed the world trend.
It is a good, though belated, step.
Several states in the USA have legalised euthanasia for terminally ill patients after certification by experts that the chances of recovery are remote or nil.
Many old people ordered expensive medical procedures by greedy doctors, the thousands who now lead a painful, vegetative existence at great cost and hardship to their close relatives, now get relief from this verdict
The sensational revelation by a lady journalist, of ritual killing of the elderly in a Tamil Nadu district, as exposed by Aamir Khan’s famous TV show Satyameva Jayate, has shocked the nation, but it could be more shocking if it turns out that most of them sought such an end to a futile existence.
Many have sounded a note of caution. And rightly so. In India and rest of the Orient the emotional bonds of primary family are very strong. ,The note of caution is to warn against the possibility of the elderly being blackmailed emotionally into wanting to end their lives. Such a course of action is possible, given the Oriental family ties.
Everyone who parted with all their wealth to their sons who asked for it to tide over a business or career crisis knows he/she could never refuse, though fully aware it is a wrong step. In most cases it led to the parent’s immense suffering, to their abuse and being thrown out of homes.
The number of such sons/daughters may be less than those who do not want their parents’ death — even if they themselves want it. But such children do exist, most often due to their spouses’ pressure.
Before the libaralisation of dignified death or euthanasia comes into force, we should evolve steps to prevent such misuse and also corruption in those supervising and approving such euthanasia.
For greedy doctors who do histerectomies and c-sections when not needed or bypass surgeries on nonegeranians do exist.
India needs many many more hospices and centres of palliative treatment, instead of hospitals.
Life should be ‘StoppableAfterSeventy’
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