In some medical regimes, there is a provision that those patients who are terminally ill and in vegetative condition for long need to be given the benefit of assisted death by withdrawing life supports that keep them alive.

• How good is such a provision from a patient’s point of view?
• Do you think it is worth applying universally?

Assisted death has been a bone of contention for ages. Still, in some medical regimes it is permitted. Anyway, a patient who is in a vegetative condition may find this a great blessing, but I do not think this can be applied universally.

If we look at this medical procedure through the eyes of a terminally ill person, there are points to prove that it is right. First of all, all human beings deserve a decent life without inflicting any burden to the people around. Here an assisted death would be a blessing both for the patient and for the near and dear ones. Secondly, since the condition is not going to improve by any medical means, there is not use letting the patient cling on to his or life hopelessly. It is too miserable for all those who come to touch with the patient. Being alive is good, but it is better dead than alive when it comes to terminally ill.

Is this medical provision going to be applied universally? What I feel is this that it is not going to have many takers primarily because human life is associated with many values and faiths which are prevalent in different cultures. For some people, human life is God given and so no manmade system is right enough to take one’s life. For some others, medical science is to keep people alive, not to kill people. Above all, there is a great danger of misuse of this provision. Who would guarantee that assisted death is carried out on the right patient? Man may use it to annihilate people. So there is hardly any scope for this provision being applied globally.

In short, assisted death or euthanasia will be here for long, but the number of takers may not go higher. However, looking at it from a patient’s point of view, it is the best thing medical science can do for a hapless patient.

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