Bill to legalize euthanasia introduced to Indian legislature

A member of India's parliament who belongs to the Communist Party of India introduced a bill to legalize euthanasia to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of representatives in the Indian parliament.

C.K. Chandrappan, a representative from Trichur, Kerala, introduced a Euthanasia Permission and Regulation Bill that would allow the legal killing of any patient who is bedridden or deemed incurable. The legislation would also permit any person who cannot carry out daily chores without assistance to be euthanized.

"If there is no hope of recovery for a patient, it is only humane to allow him to put an end to his pain and agony in a dignified manner," said Dr. B. K. Rao, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi. "If it is established that the treatment is proving to be futile, euthanasia is a practical option for lessening the misery of patients."

The Bill, which would overturn the current Indian laws prohibiting euthanasia, has received criticism from medical groups afraid of abuse and religious groups defending the right to life.

"This Bill, if it came to pass, will abuse more than be of any use," says Geetanath Ganguly, executive chairman of Legal Aid Services for West Bengal. "It's unconstitutional and would be in contravention of [Indian Constitution] Article 21, which is the right to life."

"This kind of legislation is completely unacceptable, both ethically and morally. Also, since we can't give life, we have no right to take life," said Sister Annunciata of the Bangalore-based Respect for Life India (RFLI), a non-profit organization. "With the standards of palliative care of the elderly in India improving, there's no need to take this kind of a regressive step."

By John Connolly, LifeSiteNews.com

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[01/03/2008]

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