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    Arguments Against Euthanasia

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    irfan tahir
    The document outlines several arguments against legalizing euthanasia in India. It argues that euthanasia could lead to the elimination of people with disabilities, that it violates the right to life in the Indian constitution, and that suicide attempts are often a symptom of mental illness. It also notes concerns about potential misuse of euthanasia for inheritance or declining medical care standards. The document emphasizes that palliative care provides an alternative to euthanasia by effectively managing pain and symptoms while supporting patients and their families. It argues that the focus should be on improving access to palliative care rather than legalizing euthanasia.

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    Arguments Against Euthanasia

    Uploaded by

    irfan tahir
    17 views2 pages
    The document outlines several arguments against legalizing euthanasia in India. It argues that euthanasia could lead to the elimination of people with disabilities, that it violates the right to life in the Indian constitution, and that suicide attempts are often a symptom of mental illness. It also notes concerns about potential misuse of euthanasia for inheritance or declining medical care standards. The document emphasizes that palliative care provides an alternative to euthanasia by effectively managing pain and symptoms while supporting patients and their families. It argues that the focus should be on improving access to palliative care rather than legalizing euthanasia.

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    Euthanasia

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    Euthanasia

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    The document outlines several arguments against legalizing euthanasia in India. It argues that euthanasia could lead to the elimination of people with disabilities, that it violates the right to life in the Indian constitution, and that suicide attempts are often a symptom of mental illness. It also notes concerns about potential misuse of euthanasia for inheritance or declining medical care standards. The document emphasizes that palliative care provides an alternative to euthanasia by effectively managing pain and symptoms while supporting patients and their families. It argues that the focus should be on improving access to palliative care rather than legalizing euthanasia.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    17 views2 pages

    Arguments Against Euthanasia

    Uploaded by

    irfan tahir
    The document outlines several arguments against legalizing euthanasia in India. It argues that euthanasia could lead to the elimination of people with disabilities, that it violates the right to life in the Indian constitution, and that suicide attempts are often a symptom of mental illness. It also notes concerns about potential misuse of euthanasia for inheritance or declining medical care standards. The document emphasizes that palliative care provides an alternative to euthanasia by effectively managing pain and symptoms while supporting patients and their families. It argues that the focus should be on improving access to palliative care rather than legalizing euthanasia.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Arguments against euthanasia

    Eliminating the invalid: Euthanasia opposers argue that if we embrace ‘the right to death with
    dignity’, people with incurable and debilitating illnesses will be disposed from our civilised
    society. The practice of palliative care counters this view, as palliative care would provide
    relief from distressing symptoms and pain, and support to the patient as well as the care giver.
    Palliative care is an active, compassionate and creative care for the dying6.
    Constitution of India: ‘Right to life’ is a natural right embodied in Article 21 but suicide is an
    unnatural termination or extinction of life and, therefore, incompatible and inconsistent with
    the concept of ‘right to life’. It is the duty of the State to protect life and the physician's duty
    to provide care and not to harm patients. If euthanasia is legalised, then there is a grave
    apprehension that the State may refuse to invest in health (working towards Right to life).
    Legalised euthanasia has led to a severe decline in the quality of care for terminally-ill
    patients in Holland7. Hence, in a welfare state there should not be any role of euthanasia in
    any form.
    Symptom of mental illness: Attempts to suicide or completed suicide are commonly seen in
    patients suffering from depression8, schizophrenia9 and substance users10. It is also
    documented in patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder11. Hence, it is essential
    to assess the mental status of the individual seeking for euthanasia. In classical teaching,
    attempt to suicide is a psychiatric emergency and it is considered as a desperate call for help
    or assistance. Several guidelines have been formulated for management of suicidal patients in
    psychiatry12. Hence, attempted suicide is considered as a sign of mental illness13.
    Malafide intention: In the era of declining morality and justice, there is a possibility of
    misusing euthanasia by family members or relatives for inheriting the property of the patient.
    The Supreme Court has also raised this issue in the recent judgement3. ‘Mercy killing’ should
    not lead to ‘killing mercy’ in the hands of the noble medical professionals. Hence, to keep
    control over the medical professionals, the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct,
    Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 discusses euthanasia briefly in Chapter 6, Section 6.7
    and it is in accordance with the provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organ Act,
    199414. There is an urgent need to protect patients and also medical practitioners caring the
    terminally ill patients from unnecessary lawsuit. Law commission had submitted a report (no-
    196) to the government on this issue15.
    Emphasis on care: Earlier majority of them died before they reached the hospital but now it is
    converse. Now sciences had advanced to the extent, life can be prolonged but not to that
    extent of bringing back the dead one. This phenomenon has raised a complex situation.
    Earlier diseases outcome was discussed in terms of ‘CURE’ but in the contemporary world of
    diseases such as cancer, Aids, diabetes, hypertension and mental illness are debated in terms
    best ‘CARE’, since cure is distant. The principle is to add life to years rather than years to life
    with a good quality palliative care. The intention is to provide care when cure is not possible
    by low cost methods. The expectation of society is, ‘cure’ from the health professionals, but
    the role of medical professionals is to provide ‘care’. Hence, euthanasia for no cure illness
    does not have a logical argument. Whenever, there is no cure, the society and medical
    professionals become frustrated and the fellow citizen take extreme measures such as suicide,
    euthanasia or substance use. In such situations, palliative and rehabilitative care comes to the
    rescue of the patient and the family. At times, doctors do suggest to the family members to
    have the patient discharged from the hospital wait for death to come, if the family or patient
    so desires. Various reasons are quoted for such decisions, such as poverty, non-availability of
    bed, futile intervention, resources can be utilised for other patients where cure is possible and
    unfortunately majority of our patient's family do accordingly. Many of the terminally ill
    patients prefer to die at home, with or without any proper terminal health care. The societal
    perception needs to be altered and also the medical professionals need to focus on care rather
    in addition to just cure. The motive for many euthanasia requests is unawareness of
    alternatives. Patients hear from their doctors that ‘nothing can be done anymore’. However,
    when patients hear that a lot can be done through palliative care, that the symptoms can be
    controlled, now and in the future, many do not want euthanasia anymore16.
    Commercialisation of health care: Passive euthanasia occurs in majority of the hospitals
    across the county, where poor patients and their family members refuse or withdraw
    treatment because of the huge cost involved in keeping them alive. If euthanasia is legalised,
    then commercial health sector will serve death sentence to many disabled and elderly citizens
    of India for meagre amount of money. This has been highlighted in the Supreme Court
    Judgement3,17.
    Research has revealed that many terminally ill patients requesting euthanasia, have major
    depression, and that the desire for death in terminal patients is correlated with the
    depression18. In Indian setting also, strong desire for death was reported by 3 of the 191
    advanced cancer patients, and these had severe depression19. They need palliative and
    rehabilitative care. They want to be looked after by enthusiastic, compassionate and
    humanistic team of health professionals and the complete expenses need to be borne by the
    State so that ‘Right to life’ becomes a reality and succeeds before ‘Right to death with
    dignity’. Palliative care actually provides death with dignity and a death considered good by
    the patient and the care givers.

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