Reshma Renu from Nagpur along with her two batchmates, Namrata Chakroborty and Sonakshi Kumar wrote a co-authored research paper on the topic ‘Euthanasia’ which was published in Indian Journal of Law, Polity and Administration, a high quality peer-rreviewed refereed research journal. All three are students of LL.M 2020-21 at Symbiosis Law School, Pune and completed the article under the guidance of Prof (Dr) Aparajita Mohanty and Prof Richa Dwivedi.
The title of the research paper is ‘A Battle of Individual Autonomy prompted by Right to Die and Living Will: A Critical Analysis with reference to India, Netherlands and Australia’ wherein it discusses the situation of euthanasia in India and also includes a comparative analysis of the situation of the same in Netherlands and Australia. Euthanasia is an act or a practice of painlessly putting a person to death who has been suffering from a painful, incurable disease or an incapacitating physical disorder.This is known as active euthanasia.
Passive euthanasia on the other hand is withdrawal of treatment which allows the patient to die or withdrawal of artificial life support. It has been explained in the article, how in India, passive euthanasia has been recently allowed in the year 2018.
However active euthanasia is strictly prohibited. Netherlands has legalised the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from the year 2002.
In Australia, Victoria and the Western Australia are the only states where Euthanasia is legal.
Right to die is one of the most pressing issues accross the world which divides the population into supporters and opponents. While concluding the article, the medical, ethical, religious and historical views are held in account in the research article and even though there are strong opposing arguments yet the recognition of right to die and euthanasia in form of a voluntary action is of utmost importance. India has travelled a long way in its pace, but there is still a long way to go.