12 medical students from UP seek President's nod for euthanasia
Students from a medical institution in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have written to President Ram Nath Kovind, requesting his approval for euthanasia. The letter claimed the Glocal Medical College in Saharanpur enrolled 66 students for its MBBS program in 2016, however, the Medical Council of India de-recognized the institute after three months. Without informing the students, the college management continued the course for five years.
Euthanasia or "mercy-killing" is the practice of killing someone who wants to die willingly without pain. It is prohibited in most countries. The students were reportedly distressed with the sudden end to their studies. In the letter, the students claimed that they were unhappy and wished to end their lives after trying all feasible alternatives, including moving the Allahabad High Court.
Twelve of the 66 students wrote to President Kovind. A few of them are Shivani Rana, Shivam Verma, Rizwan, Vibhor, Samia, Sadaf, Aishwarya, Vignesh, and Rahul Raj. Glocal University Vice-Chancellor Akeel Ahmed responded to the charges by saying that the institution wants the students to finish their degrees. The MCI had canceled the "No Objection Certificate (NOC)" because of the students' appeal, Ahmed said.
"They filed a writ petition in the high court, and then in the Supreme Court. On both occasions, the plea was dismissed. Despite this, we continue to stand with our students," Ahmed said.
On March 9, 2018, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision allowing passive euthanasia in the nation. The court recognized the "living will" to be made by terminally-ill patients who are likely to go into a permanent vegetative state. The top court had further noted that its rules and instructions will stay in effect until legislation to address the matter is introduced, reported Firstpost.
The Netherlands, in April 2002, became the first country to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. The same year, Belgium passed a law to legalize euthanasia. While euthanasia is still illegal in the United States, doctors are only allowed to provide lethal amounts of drugs to terminally sick patients in five states. In 2013, 230 people in the US died due to lethal medications.
