Bill allows adults with incurable illness to take lethal medication, as public demands grow across Europe for legal end-of-life options.
- The proposed measure on lethal medication introduces a framework for assisted dying under specific conditions.
What is Assisted Dying?
- Assisted dying can take two forms: Euthanasia or Assisted suicide.
- Euthanasia: A third party actively ends a patient's life to relieve suffering; called voluntary euthanasia if done with the patient’s consent.
- Active Euthanasia: A deliberate act (E.g. lethal injection) by a medical professional or another person that directly causes a patient's death.
- Passive Euthanasia: Letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (E.g. switching off a ventilator, not administering life-extending drugs).
- Assisted Suicide: Medical practitioner will prescribe a lethal drug which patients take themselves in order to die.
- Euthanasia: A third party actively ends a patient's life to relieve suffering; called voluntary euthanasia if done with the patient’s consent.
Ethical issues involved in Assisted Dying
- Risk of Coercion: Fear of pressure on the non-terminally ill or disabled to opt for euthanasia.
- Allegations of Malpractice: Eg. Countries like Netherlands and Belgium have investigated cases (psychiatric patients especially).
- Sanctity of Life: Devalues human life as taking life is inherently wrong and immoral.
- Against medical ethics: of nursing, care giving and healing
Legal Status of Euthanasia/Right to die in India:
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