Touching on the morbid again, the
vexed issue of euthanasia is again on the debating forum here in India. Those who do not substantiate such a view feel that since every human being is a creation of God, our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit.
There have been multitude of people from diverse background who have ratified
this concept over ages and some have actually showcased this theory in their
own lives. As recent as in december 2006, Italian poet, painter and activist, Pierre-Giorgio
Welby who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, at a very
young age, which is an incurable and severely debilitating disorder, chose to
end his life with euthanasia. As the disease progressed and he was unable to
breathe on his own from 1997, he became active in the 'right to die' movement
and on repeated requests, his anesthetist friend Mario Ricci, agreed
to end his life with an overdose of sedative. Ricci has faced murder charges, as euthanasia is illegal in Italy. However, Ricci's 'act of kindness'
supporters are on the rise as they argue that living on life-support system
just for the sake of living and causing damage to the quality of life of close
and loved ones is worse than death.
Euthanasia, touches a raw chord with the creatively inclined people as well as the media. Films showcasing euthanasia
can be traced as way back as 1939, example being the 'The Dark Victory' to 'Million
Dollar Baby' which is about a woman boxer who was incapacitated. Other examples
include 'You Don't Know Jack' in which Al Pacino portrayed suicide
advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the 2004 Spanish drama, 'The Sea
Inside', based on the struggles of a sailor who fought against the
Spanish Parliament to establish his right to die.
As we are mostly aware, Euthanasia,
had its origin in the Greek words, 'Eu' meaning, good and 'Thanatos' meaning
death. A form of peaceful and dignified death, when living on becomes a
punishment and death comes as a relief. It is the practice of ending human
life, where chance of recovery is nil and mercy killing can limit suffering.
Euthanasia has been in the focus of
controversy for almost three thousand years, however, the dilemma posed by it,
still divides society generally. This has been a question which has been
debated upon, legally, medically, philosophically as well as theologically.
Authors, poets and philosophers in antiquity hinted and wrote about the 'willing
self-sacrifice' and the justification behind it.
The Greek tragedies of
Aeschylus, Sophocles and those of Euripides, advocated passive euthanasia, in the Aeschylian classic drama, "Prometheus Bound". Greek Philosophers
like Plato was against people committing suicide but made allowances for people
who suffered insurmountable pain. In the 'Republic', Plato states that patients
unable to live a normal life owing to suffering, should not receive treatment
for the prolongation of life. Thus it is evident that though he did not support
active euthanasia, nevertheless, he advocated passive assisted death.
Active Euthanasia was rejected by the majority as it was considered a
violation of the will of God. Passive euthanasia is brought about by an
omission, when an individual is allowed to die, by withdrawing a treatment or
withholding it. Thus it is considered less brutal than active euthanasia.
Most world religions disapprove of euthanasia. They are the guardians of the
sanctity of preservation of life and to them, euthanasia is against the will of
God. Religious leaders argue that, euthanasia weakens society’s respect for the sanctity of life. Islam
is totally against euthanasia or terminating an individual's life by himself.
The Roman Catholic Church shares similar staunch views against euthanasia.
Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism all feel that euthanasia interferes with the karmic
cycle of an individual as the pain an individual is going through, is essential
for that particular individual and to disrupt it midway is to interfere with an
individual's progress towards ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth, death and
rebirth.
Euthanasia in the Indian Context:
Indian cinema has
traditionally shied away from depicting euthanasia. However with the release of
'Guzaarish' in 2010, the total aversion towards addressing euthanasia, in
drawing room conversation as has been prevalent till then, has seen a slight shift.
Though, 'Guzaarish' the story of Ethan Mascarenhas, a former stage-magician who
was rendered a quadriplegic owing to an accident, and who later turned into a
radio jockey and filed an appeal to end his life, did not do too well at the
box office, nevertheless it touched a chord with the educated and the discerning
Indian.
The ancient Indian had
divided his life into four stages - Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanprastha and
ultimately Sannyas. The last part of Sannyas was undertaken by an aged individual when he had
lost all interest and hope in life and was eager and ready to face death. He
then left his family and usually went to an unknown location, where he voluntarily
withdrew all essential life continuing systems. This was never a forced act, but rather
an act of volition, thus validating the fact that euthanasia in one form of 'Swechchhamrityu' was known and widely
supported in ancient India.
Euthanasia in Indian Mythology:
In
Hindu mythology the Mahabharata, the grandsire Bhishma had a boon, of dying only
when he wished to. Though this is not entirely in conformity with the present day
concept of euthanasia, nevertheless, this ratifies the fact, that ancient
hindus believed that ending one's life on one's own terms was acceptable. Sati,
daughter of Prajapati Daksha and wife of Devadidev Mahadev invoked, Agni, the
fire God and immolated herself as she could not accept the humiliation meted
out to her husband by her father.
In the
Indian epic, Ramayana,
Rama and his brothers chose 'jalsamadhi' as a means to end their lives and drowned themselves
in the river Sarayu. Sita on the other hand, resorted to burying herself in the
earth, which gave way under her by her sheer will force. Meghnad's wife
Sulochona, burned herself in a pyre alongside her husband as she did not want
to continue living a life without her dearest. In another epic, the Mahabharata,
the protagonists, Yudhisthira, with his four brothers and their wife Draupadi,
willfully took the treacherous path to the unknown interiors of the mighty
Himalayas, in order to end their lives.
Prayopavesa or fasting to death has been an acceptable way
for the Hindus to end their lives under certain circumstances and it is actually
very different from what most people mean by suicide. Prayopavesa is a gradual
process, unlike suicide, and gives ample time to the person in question to
prepare himself and his close ones for the aftermath of the act. While suicide
is always associated with feelings of desperation, frustration, anger or
depression, Prayopavesa is associated with feelings of serenity and it uses
natural means in a passive way to end one's life when living has become more of
a burden.
Indian Legal System
& Euthanasia:
While active euthanasia remains against the law in India, court rulings have
permitted terminally ill patients the removal of life support. A Supreme
Court case is currently pending about living wills, which enable the patient to
leave written instructions ordering such a removal in the event he becomes
incapacitated.
The issue has also been
brought to the fore by several individuals petitioning for assisted suicide,
including Seema Sood, a once outstanding engineering student crippled for 15
years. But after receiving an operation in 2009 that promised to restore
mobility, she expressed regret at ever having requested death. However recently,
again as multiple surgeries weakened her muscles and pain continued to
disable her, she has again appealed to the Indian PM, Narendra Modi so that her
'right to die' is granted.
Another story, that of Aruna Shaunbag, highlights a condition which undeniably and unequivocally calls for mercy killing, as killing her and relieving her from this life would be the only act of compassion, which can be granted to her. Shanbaug, a former nurse at the hospital, has been lying in a vegetative state for the last 41 years, after she was sexually assaulted by a hospital sweeper in November 1973. In March 2011, the Supreme Court had rejected a petition filed by author Pinki Virani seeking mercy killing for Shanbaug, which the hospital's management and nursing staff had opposed. Virani has told the story of Aruna in her 1998 book Aruna’s Story.
Arguments For and Against:
Arguments in favour of
and against euthanasia are many and varied. With time, as ethics and culture
have evolved, so should evolve the necessity to address the bio-ethical issues in the background of paradigm shifts in other areas of societal and
humanitarian norms. At one point of time, abortion was unethical, immoral and
illegal. It is still frowned upon by the Roman Catholic Church, however with
time, and with the population explosion, spiraling out of control, this concept has changed too.
Since we cannot create life, are we authorized to willfully take away one? is a
question posed by all disapproving of euthanasia. Though this question seems
logical enough, a very poignant question in answer to this crops up immediately
in my mind. What about the art of warfare that trains young men and women in
the art and the science of killing? If taking somebody's life was ethical
enough in the name of religion, then why is it unethical to end a life at the
very request of an individual, whose life it is and to whom life has become a burden? If it was
objectionable to take a single life, then why doesn't law-makers holding this opinion,
attempt to stop warfare for good and use the money for the benefit of
humankind? For something to be humanely ethical does it only have to be legal?
Another argument in favour of people who are in disagreement with euthanasia is
that if euthanasia is legalised, then it is bound to be misused by a section of
people. Legal professionals have voiced their apprehensions on the matter. The
argument that comes to one's mind is that, if an ethical and logical issue was
not made into a law, for fear of misuse, then why should ultra-sonography be
allowed on pregnant women so that the gender of foetus can be determined and
female foetus can be aborted arbitrarily, in an age where random female
foeticide has caused serious imbalance in the male-female ratio in our
country?
Hence it is totally improper to argue that a law should not be passed for the benefit of society, simply, in
apprehension that it can be misused. Rather, care should be taken, so that the
loopholes in the legal structures can be managed effectively so as to contain
abuse and misuse of that law.
In the words of the Nobel laureate Indian poet Rabindranath Thakur, instead of
fearing death and trying to dissociate it from our consciousness, why cannot we
romance death and embrace the concept of the ultimate truth? "Moron
re...tu hu momo Shyam somaan.."
