Euthanasia: Ethical or Unethical?

chillibreeze writer — Usha Shroff

“Oh God! I want to die!”

How many of us have heard this soul searing cry. A loved one in the throes of agonizing pain caused by a disease riddled body.

It is heart rending to see one suffer in such a way on the threshold of death – in the twilight of life.

It is traumatic to look at them, their eyes – hazy with drugs, pleading for mercy and release.

Ethical or unethical – This is what Euthanasia is about!

Euthanasia is still a gray area, in the black and white terms of legal ruling. Some countries, namely The Netherlands, Belgium and North America allow Physician Assisted Suicide or PAS.

A person’s life is shattered with the discovery that he is terminally ill with an incurable disease. When this happens, he or she will probably go through four phases:

The first is Denial: - “There must be a mistake, this cannot happen to me. The reports must be wrong. The doctors must have made a mistake.”

The second – Anger: Anger at the injustice by God, against fate, against doctors, against life on the whole.

Then comes the Depression – this is by far the most dangerous emotion. At this time a person needs constant counseling and sympathetic understanding.

And this is followed by Acceptance. When a person finally accepts and understands the cruel blow that life has dealt him.

A person has lived life with pride and confidence. He has looked after himself, dressed well, eaten well and lived life with dignity. Would it be too much to accord a modicum of dignity to him when he dies? He can see the bleak future, in a life of increasing medication, and dependency on machines for bodily functions with the unrelenting pain. The prognosis is negative. By letting a person under such circumstances opt for euthanasia would be ethical and humane.

But, at the same time, in some instances, when a person pleads for Euthanasia, he may be under extreme depression. Counseling would be a better choice. At times a person does not want to burden his family. His desire for release stems from guilt.

I remember the time when my Uncle was terminally ill, diagnosed with a brain tumor, which could not be operated on or removed. He was a man who lived life with verve. He believed in living life to the fullest.

To say it was painful to watch him scream with anguish in severe pain is an understatement.

In his lucid moments he pleaded for release, and the doctor did help him. He gave him high doses of morphine which did alleviate his pain to some extent, but also ended his life with respiratory disorders.

When a person suffers severe head injuries, he is at times declared “Brain Dead”. In such cases there is absolutely no chance of recovery. He can live like a vegetable, only with life support machines. It would be kinder to the relatives not to prolong such lives. My brother-in-law, who is a nephrologist, comes across such cases a few times. He is heartened and humbled when relatives of such patients donate the organs of their loved ones. These are instances where life and hope emerge from tragedy.

The really difficult part is, when a person is in coma. This may be for days, months and sometimes for several years. Doctors are doubtful about recovery, but at the same time there is no foolproof method where they can be sure about recovery. This is a decision that should be taken by the immediate family, rather than court.

It can be very traumatic to wait and watch with unflagging hope, day after day, year after year.
At the same time, if there is a law that permits Euthanasia, people could twist the law to their own advantage. It could be related to the responsibility, the finance or the time.

The debate on euthanasia has been raging for years and is it is unlikely that it will ever be resolved. Each case is different and involves something so precious – a human life. To think of taking someone’s life for whatever reason seems unfathomable, yet there will be instances, when keeping a person alive would be cruel and selfish. To have a set of laws deciding one way or the other will not resolve the complexities of the issue. Each case is different and would have to be viewed in context and even then it is difficult to decide. Unethical or ethical? It’s unlikely whether we’ll ever know.

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—About our writer:

Usha says, "The mantra for success is to work hard and work smart. This is something that I advocate to all my students. As in today's word of cut throat competition, hard work alone is not enough to take you places. I love reading, solving puzzles, be it word games or quizzes. And ofcourse playing with my grandson, who at 9 months is an imp and a darling."

Euthanasia: Ethical or Unethical?

Ethical or unethical – This is what Euthanasia is about!

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