SC Rules In Favour of Passive Euthanasia

New Delhi: In a historic decision, the Supreme Court on Friday recognised the ‘living will’ of terminally ill persons clarifying the everyone has the right to die with dignity.

The apex court stated that a person can prepare a document in a healthy or sound state of mind specifying in advance that he/she should not be prolonged with a ventilator or any other artificial support system.

The court has also laid down strict guidelines for execution of the “will” by saying that an advance living will can be made by authorizing the withdrawal of life support system, if he/she, in medical view, has reached an irreversible stage of terminal illness.

The order was passed by a five-judge constitution bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices AK Sikri, AM Khan Wilkar, Dy Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan.

The Judges were unanimous that a living will should be allowed because an individual should not be allowed to continue suffering in a vegetative state when he/she dies not want to continue living.