Can I Choose to Die: The Debate Around Euthanasia

Mercy killing or euthanasia is the act of ending one’s life to relieve one of pain and suffering caused by incurable ailments with his/her consent. Following the death of Aruna Shanbaug at KEM Hospital in Mumbai last year, the debate surrounding legalizing euthanasia in India came into the limelight. The Supreme Court of India, while rejecting lawyer activist Pinki Virani’s plea in 2014, has laid down guidelines for passive euthanasia which entail involves withdrawal of treatment or food that allows a patient to live. The moral arguments surrounding euthanasia raise issues about ethics and the idea of to be or not be.