(BBC) – In a landmark ruling, India’s Supreme Court has allowed the removal of life support of a 31-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade.
This is the first instance of court-approved passive euthanasia – the act of withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment – in India. The man, Harish Rana, had not left a will specifying directives for his treatment before he had an accident.
India legalised passive euthanasia in 2018 but active euthanasia – any act that intentionally helps a person kill themselves – remains illegal. Rana suffered serious head injuries after falling from a fourth-floor balcony in 2013. He has remained in a comatose state since then.
Over the years, his parents petitioned courts several times to allow their son’s life support system to be removed. CONTINUE