Euthanasia – An anathema or a blessing in disguise?

Samarjit Kambam *

"Death may be the greatest of all human blessings" – Socrates

The Supreme Court's opening up of the Euthanasia debate asking for opinion from states and union territories alongwith the Times of India launching an online campaign in line, a year back, with the apex court's decision to throw the issue open for debate can be considered a bold initiative. Now that the apex court wants government and legislature to examine the issue, it is expected that the matter be pursued with more vigour and thrust till it comes to a tangible result.

Roller Coaster Write had already produced an article on Euthanasia titled 'Euthanasia – The Mercy Killing'. As the subject on Euthanasia has gained greater momentum throughout India, Roller Coaster Write has been compelled to put up some views on the subject matter which rather can be considered a very sensitive issue.

It is a known fact that there are umpteen numbers of terminally ill patients in the world particularly older people. To them each day is tantamount to torture. Most of them willingly want to die instead of facing the pain and ordeal of terminal illness every second of the unending day with no hope for cure, recovery or improvement. The biggest pain for anyone is to become a burden on themselves and to others.

So they want to ease away their burden by putting themselves out of their misery by heading quickly towards their final destination that is 'death'. When a terminally ill person suffers, the family also suffers. In such a situation, one should have the freedom to take a decision. Government must make laws to ensure this freedom is exploited rightly as well as to avoid misuse of this freedom.

Everybody who are born in this world are sure to die one day or the other, it is only a matter of time and place and the nature of death that makes the difference. We cannot cheat death, it is unpredictable yet inevitable and there is no way we can we can do anything to hide from it for death is a law of nature which we cannot break and there is no armour for us humans against such a fate as death. Definition of death differs from medical point of view as well as from religious point of view. However, it is a fact that when one dies, the dead feels no pain, no sorrow, no headache, no heartache, no monetary burden etc., for death is nothingness, death is the ultimate peace and freedom, freedom from everything.

So, terminally ill patients prefer a quick and painless death instead of going through the daily ordeals of suffering and misery. For those who don't want to live another day, they don't want to die another day either for they want to die the very day, the very hour, the very minute and the very moment of their existence. This is where Euthanasia comes as the most viable option, a rescuer or as a savior from pain and agony.

There are many kinds of killings in the world viz, honour killing, androcide, homicide, amicide, genocide, democide, zenocide, death through capital punishment, populicite etc etc., the list is endless. Out of all the innumerable kinds of killings, Euthanasia or Mercy Killing is a unique one that stands apart from the rest. The different kinds of killings as mentioned above are usually carried out against the consent of the victim or accused.

What makes Mercy Killing stands apart is that the killing is carried out totally with the consent and prior willingness of the subject individual. Many people misunderstand it as a kind of suicide for questions galore whether embracing a death courageously and gracefully with dignity should be interpreted as suicide or not. But it is not, for this practice involves three parties, the one performing the deed, another dealing with legal procedures and the one who dies. The process involved in Euthanasia is lethal injection thereby giving the subject quick and painless death. That is why Euthanasia is known as Mercy Killing.

Euthanasia dates back from the mid 1800. There are many kinds of Euthanasia viz voluntary, involuntary, passive, active etc. But legally, Euthanasia is to be carried out voluntarily. Passive euthanasia entails the abrupt withholding of common treatments such as medications or other life support mechanisms necessary for the continuance of life. Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances such as administering lethal injection to kill and put an end to the sufferer's misery.

In mercy killing particularly voluntary ones, the terminally ill patient gives his will and has to make it legal through various procedures involving court of law and approval of his family members. Lethal injections used in Euthanasia are combination of chemicals viz Nesdonal(Thiopental sodium), Alloferin(Alcuronim chloride), Pavulon(Pancuronium bromide), Norcuron(Vecuronium bromide) etc., which are commonly administered intravenously in stage-wise basis.

To avoid misuse or conspiracy, it also involves the approval of at least three physicians or a penal of doctors as well as willingness of family members, relatives and kins of the patient for the best interest of the receiving end for Euthanasia without the patient's consent or involuntarily carried out against the will of the dying amounts to murder.

Euthanasia has got its own bunch of de-merits or may become a source of massacre of huge magnitude if it falls in the wrong hands. During Hitler's Nazi regime, involuntary Euthanasia was carried out in a mass scale even towards his own German people – men, women, old people and children who were infirmed, degenerated, deformed or handicapped by using very crude method such as sending them inside Third Reich's gas chambers in his bizarre quest for establishment of the most superior race i.e. the Germans in the world.

In fact, it was a tyrannical genocide which was made official. Every person has got the 'right to live'. So for a person who has been forcefully included in the involuntary category, the sole purpose of 'right to live' is defeated. Euthanasia, if abused, is highly dangerous, more devious than carrying out heinous crime or murder. There were instances in certain countries where handicapped children were killed in the name of euthanasia and their organs viz heart, kidney, liver, etc were taken out for sale in the clandestine organ market run by huge illegal and unholy syndicates.

Euthanasia or mercy killing was first legalised in Australia. After that this practice has been adopted and legalised by Netherlands, Belgium and State of Oregon. If used in the right way, Euthanasia is a boon for the patients with no hope for recovery by putting an end to their misery. But of late, there were issues of misuse of this system in Netherlands.

In fact, Euthanasia is quite controversial because many nations take that it as a kind of murder. It has also been a subject of controversy and debate for more than a century. So, government of many nations who want to make euthanasia legal should monitor this issue with an eagle eye and take public's opinion at the forefront, otherwise everything may go haywire and the system may become a legalised deadly weapon of mass murder.

The first doctor in the world who carried out Euthanasia is Dr. Philip Nitschke and the first patient where lethal injection was administered and killed was Bob Dent, a prostate gland cancer patient, both Australian nationals. Bob Dent, unable to bear the pain and agony of his chronic illness anymore voluntarily requested Dr. Philip Nitschke alongwith approval and consent of himself, his wife and kins. After legal approval has been given by Auatralian government, Euthanasia was carried out to Bob Dent thereby creating history as the first legal Mercy Killing in the world.

Known as "Dr Death" with fear and awe by his counterparts as well as many professionals in the medical world he has already eased the lives of many patients through Euthanasia as Mercy Killing. One may ponder with wonder "Doctors killing patients instead of saving them and the reason behind it?". And what about the Hippocratic Oath – an oath taken by every doctors that they will not harm the patients and assist life?. Well, the world has changeth, is changing and will keep on changing.

Dr Philip has been viewed upon by many as a self-created Frankenstein and his works have been criticised and mired with controversy. But the Australian doctor is not charged under any case of crime, murder or homicide as his work was legal as per the ambit of law of Australian government. Many professionals in the medical world termed him as dangerous, deadly and murderous. But Dr Death's mindset didn't budge an inch despite all the criticisms poured upon him as he has his own rational belief that he is helping others by way of erasing misery from people's life legally.

Law should indeed be for the betterment of the people and in sync with their changing needs. One thing is, if you were a terminally ill patient with no hope for cure and if the Indian government legalises Euthanasia, which one would you prefer? A slow and painful natural death or a quick and painless unnatural death? We have got the 'right to live', likewise we should also have the 'right to die'. Well, the choice is yours.