Couple of weeks back, the media reported on Chennai parents seeking ‘mercy killing’ for their five year old boy who is physically and mentally challenged. There was a deluge of offers from individuals and NGOs alike to support the poor parents for the child’s medication. The same week there was a report on a London based teenager refusing to continue her medication on Leukemia telling that she could not burden her parents more.
The two incidents brought the question of legalizing Mercy killing or Euthanasia to limelight once again in the Indian and global media. There were many who voted for and against it , in the opinion polls that followed.
Background:
Euthanasia, as Mercy Killing is formally known, has been a topic of discussion many a times .In fact Mercy killing is legalized in five countries namely , Belgium , Luxemburg, Thailand , Switzerland and the states of Oregon and Washington in US. Every time the issue arises there are propagators who claim it to be a relief from the burden of pain and others claiming it as murderous. Even this time it was no different.
For and Against:
There were doctors who were vehemently against the idea arguing that it is against medical ethics since a doctor is one who safeguards life and to legalize “Doctor assisted Suicide” would be against the very roots of the medical ethics. At the same time there were others who viewed the whole issue in a very different way, who argued that since a person who was successful in committing suicide could not be punished it would be ridiculous to punish who is not successful in the act .And since suicide could not be made an offensive act neither could Mercy Killing or “Doctor assisted Suicide”.
Here again the question arises whether Euthanasia matches more with Killing or with Suicide. In the case of the Chennai incident, it was not the boy himself who wanted to take his life but his parents who were unable to treat or look after him, whether it was because they were unable to bear the financial obligations imposed by the condition or if it was because of the social stigma associated with bringing up a disabled child or if it was the fear that there would be none to take care of the child after them is altogether a different question. When abortion is legal and done with the support of medical practitioners, it makes little sense when it is not legal for the parents to decide on behalf of the child, once the child is born and known to have some disability.
In the case of the London teenager who was suffering from Leukemia from age five and was under treatment for the past eight years, it was her decision to stop medication since she felt she had to relieve her parents of the burden of looking after her.
In the first instance it matched more with Killing and in the second it went along better with Suicide.
Far less than a Conclusion:
For an unbiased mind not personally involved with the situation, it is indeed difficult to take a stance on the issue .But all incidents from whether it be murder, suicide or abortion we find the desire of man to be in full control of everything in his life , the difficulty to oblige to the fact that at times he is helpless and there are things that are still beyond his reach and control.We see the desire of man to be the director of his life than being only an actor in a play directed by someone else..someone mightier than he himself is. Again, I feel a scarcity of love in all the cases.
And I realize somewhere deep within that it is more easily said than done.
The two incidents brought the question of legalizing Mercy killing or Euthanasia to limelight once again in the Indian and global media. There were many who voted for and against it , in the opinion polls that followed.
Background:
Euthanasia, as Mercy Killing is formally known, has been a topic of discussion many a times .In fact Mercy killing is legalized in five countries namely , Belgium , Luxemburg, Thailand , Switzerland and the states of Oregon and Washington in US. Every time the issue arises there are propagators who claim it to be a relief from the burden of pain and others claiming it as murderous. Even this time it was no different.
For and Against:
There were doctors who were vehemently against the idea arguing that it is against medical ethics since a doctor is one who safeguards life and to legalize “Doctor assisted Suicide” would be against the very roots of the medical ethics. At the same time there were others who viewed the whole issue in a very different way, who argued that since a person who was successful in committing suicide could not be punished it would be ridiculous to punish who is not successful in the act .And since suicide could not be made an offensive act neither could Mercy Killing or “Doctor assisted Suicide”.
Here again the question arises whether Euthanasia matches more with Killing or with Suicide. In the case of the Chennai incident, it was not the boy himself who wanted to take his life but his parents who were unable to treat or look after him, whether it was because they were unable to bear the financial obligations imposed by the condition or if it was because of the social stigma associated with bringing up a disabled child or if it was the fear that there would be none to take care of the child after them is altogether a different question. When abortion is legal and done with the support of medical practitioners, it makes little sense when it is not legal for the parents to decide on behalf of the child, once the child is born and known to have some disability.
In the case of the London teenager who was suffering from Leukemia from age five and was under treatment for the past eight years, it was her decision to stop medication since she felt she had to relieve her parents of the burden of looking after her.
In the first instance it matched more with Killing and in the second it went along better with Suicide.
Far less than a Conclusion:
For an unbiased mind not personally involved with the situation, it is indeed difficult to take a stance on the issue .But all incidents from whether it be murder, suicide or abortion we find the desire of man to be in full control of everything in his life , the difficulty to oblige to the fact that at times he is helpless and there are things that are still beyond his reach and control.We see the desire of man to be the director of his life than being only an actor in a play directed by someone else..someone mightier than he himself is. Again, I feel a scarcity of love in all the cases.
And I realize somewhere deep within that it is more easily said than done.
