UK Parliament has passed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Kartavya Desk Staff
Syllabus: Ethics
Source: TH
Context: The UK Parliament has passed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons, which allows terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to opt for assisted dying in England and Wales.
About UK Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill:
• What It Is? A legislation that enables terminally ill adults to legally end their life under strict medical and legal oversight.
• A legislation that enables terminally ill adults to legally end their life under strict medical and legal oversight.
• Features of the Bill:
• Applicable in England and Wales. Restricted to patients with less than 6 months to live. Requires approval by two doctors, a psychiatrist, a senior lawyer, and a social worker.
• Applicable in England and Wales.
• Restricted to patients with less than 6 months to live.
• Requires approval by two doctors, a psychiatrist, a senior lawyer, and a social worker.
What is Euthanasia?
The word “Euthanasia” comes from Greek, meaning “good death”. It refers to the intentional act of ending a person’s life to relieve them from unbearable pain or terminal illness, usually when there is no hope of recovery.
Types of Euthanasia:
• Active Euthanasia
• A deliberate action taken to cause a patient’s death (such as giving a lethal injection).
• Example: Administering a dose of drugs to end suffering.
• Passive Euthanasia
• Withholding or withdrawing medical treatments that prolong life (like removing a ventilator), allowing natural death to occur.
• Example: Discontinuing life support for patients in a permanent vegetative state.
• Voluntary Euthanasia
• The patient consents and requests to end their life to escape suffering.
• Example: Terminally ill patient formally requesting euthanasia.
• Involuntary Euthanasia:
• Life is ended without the patient’s consent.
• This is considered illegal and unethical (akin to murder).
Ethical Debate on Euthanasia
Arguments For:
• Right to Autonomy: Every individual should have the right to make decisions regarding their own body, including when and how to die, as an expression of personal freedom.
• Compassion: Euthanasia allows for relief from intractable pain and terminal suffering, fulfilling the moral duty to prevent unnecessary agony.
• Dignity in Death: It enables terminally ill patients to choose a peaceful and dignified death, rather than enduring a prolonged and degrading illness.
• Relief for Family & Caregivers: Families often suffer watching their loved ones in pain, euthanasia can spare emotional trauma and financial strain on families.
• Medical Resource Allocation: Permitting euthanasia may help better allocate scarce medical resources toward patients with a chance of recovery.
Arguments Against:
• Sanctity of Life: Human life is inherently sacred, and intentional killing — even to relieve suffering — violates core ethical and religious principles.
• Risk of Coercion: Vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly or disabled, may feel pressured by family or society to choose euthanasia to avoid being a burden.
• Palliative Care Alternatives: Modern palliative and hospice care can effectively manage most pain and symptoms, offering compassionate alternatives to euthanasia.
• Slippery Slope Argument: Legalising euthanasia could erode ethical boundaries and lead to abuse, where non-terminal or unwilling patients are put at risk.
• Doctor-Patient Trust: Introducing euthanasia compromises the traditional role of doctors as healers and undermines patient trust in medical professionals.
Supreme Court Judgements:
• Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab (1996): Denied “Right to Die” under Article 21.
• Aruna Shanbaug v. Union of India (2011): Allowed Passive Euthanasia under strict conditions.
• Common Cause v. Union of India (2018): Recognised Right to Die with Dignity under Article 21 and permitted Advance Directives for terminally ill patients.
Two Ethical Unknown Philosophies on Euthanasia
• Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Humanism: Advocated valuing “meaningful existence” over biological continuation.
• Hans Jonas’ Ethics of Responsibility: Warned of technological overreach in medicine that may diminish respect for life’s natural course.
Quotes:
• “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
• “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” — J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Conclusion:
Euthanasia debates globally reflect tensions between personal autonomy, ethical limits of medical practice, and societal values. As more countries revisit their laws, India too must balance dignity, compassion, and caution in this sensitive issue. Judicial clarity and public awareness will be key to shaping humane policy.