Author – Shruti Singh

Euthanasia is one of the most delegate areas of law.
Delegate as in many prospects – many people don’t even know mercy killing or Euthanasia even exists in real life. We have seen these practices a million times in movies or series but did we even spare a minute to know about this practice in real life.

We all know that right to life exists but what about the right to die? Does it?

As said by Bombay high court in the case MS DUBAI V. STATE OF MAHARASTRA,
” it is a fundamental right of a person to life as stated in Article 21 of the constitution and if we talk of the right to die its included or counted in the same article”.

So if we say a person doesn’t want to live
He has the right to die or put his life to an end.

But again in a case
AP High Court said that the right to die is not included as a fundamental right but the Supreme Court said in rebuttal that the right of not living is also included. There have been constant negotiations regarding the fundamental right to die.

Right to life is a right of a human being to survive in the natural environment with full human dignity but the difference comes when we talk about dying with dignity or dying because of some unnatural situations.

The issue of debate arises when we come to the legalization of such a practice. When a person is suffering from a very deadly disease is it right to suspend their life through the practice of Euthanasia or not?

People also get confused between suicide and Euthanasia. Suicide is a voluntarily killing of a person there is no third party involved but in Euthanasia a third party is directly or indirectly involved in it

There are countries where Euthanasia is legalized like the Netherlands but is this right?
Some ethics also argue that euthanasia is wrong because its a practice of non-mercy. When all our lives people and holy books have been teaching us to have mercy on others then how can we legalize a practice like this is a big question !

Shruti Singh currently studying at Amity Law School.