Please.... Let her die? Why not ask doctor to play God?

The mark of a civilised society is the status of its women. And given that anything clandestine is generally viewed as suspicious, the importance of taking this step becomes apparent. It’s been a terrible time ever since news broke of the plea by Aruna Shanbhag to the Supreme Court, asking the KEM hospital in Mumbai to stop force-feeding her and let her die in peace, Aruna’s family, particularly her elder brother, Balakrishna, are torn between wanting to see her alive one last time and setting her free from her bondage. Balakrishna, 84, a small-time businessman who lives with his daughter in Bengaluru after moving from Shimoga, is said to be deeply saddened that there is a move to end Aruna’s life. Deluged with calls from family and friends the day he newspapers splashed the news about the proceedings of the Supreme Court, many of them recalled old times when the pretty Aruna was a fixture in the family home in Haldipur. Others who had only heard of Aruna’s plight asked whether the family planned to speak out or stay silent. Relatives who first refused finally agreed to share the family’s views. Balakrishna had not seen his sister for 17 years. After the attack in 1973 that robbed the bright young woman of a promising future, Balakrishna, who had a special bond with his “beautiful sister” tried desperately to bring her home. But with Aruna’s coma persisting, Balakrishna was unable to persuade the hospital to release her. They simply refused. Balakrishna was undeterred. Contrary to reports that the family had abandoned Aruna, Balakrishna is said to have visited the hospital at regular intervals, interacting with the doctor who had been betrothed to her, until his failing health made it impossible for him to travel to Mumbai. The last time he visited Aruna was about 17 years back, and every time he saw the state she was in, he would get upset. Aruna lies on the bed just like a vegetable, recognising nobody, unable to speak.
She was beautiful, after finishing her Class X she came to Mumbai with great dreams. The ancestral home at Haldipur is empty, locked up as all other family members — including two of Aruna’s siblings who were born mentally challenged — moved out or passed on. KEM where Shanbaug worked and where she was sodomised by a hospital wardboy, who tied her neck with a dogchain cutting off oxygen supply to the brain, shares a special relationship with her. Nurses who knew her try to remember as she was, as a very bright nurse. Today, had she been working, she would have been a matron. The youngest of seven children of Ramchandra Shanbaug, Aruna had left her parents' home accompanied by her cousin who worked in the city with dreams of becoming a nurse at the prestigious KEM Hospital. Successful, beautiful and intelligent is how she is described by her then fiancé. She was engaged to be married at the time of the incident with a doctor at the hospital. Aruna’s relatives admit the family has discussed the issue of whether euthanasia was the right way forward for the hapless woman. She and her brother had a bond. He cannot bear to think about euthanasia. But, the other family members from the younger generation have no attachment because they have not seen her or met her. So, we feel euthanasia might be the right way to give her a dignified end. But despite the state she’s in, her brother will be devastated but its hard time one has to Govern death with rules. The plight of a 61-year-old woman, who suffered a brutal sexual assault 36 years ago and has been lying in a vegetative state ever since, has moved the Supreme Court into setting aside its pro-life stance and examining the womans plea that her life be ended. The woman, Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug, does not want to live anymore. The doctors have told her that there is no chance of any improvement in her state. So she, through her next friend Pinki Virani, decided to move the SC with a plea to direct the KEM Hospital not to force-feed her . Is this plea not akin to euthanasia asked a Supreme Court bench, if you see the fact, Is not keeping the woman in this persistent vegetative state by force-feeding violative of her right to live with dignity guaranteed by Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution. Law has provision for euthanasia.
She is beyond cure. Let the court inquire about what medical science has in store for her. It appears that there has been utter indifference of medical world towards her. The SC has to lay down some guideline in such cases. The pro-life apex court, which had negated pleas of termination of pregnancy of a mentally retarded girl resulting from a rape at a Nari Niketan in Chandigarh and a similar plea from a Mumbai couple for terminating a diseased fetus, Aruna is going through a torture of a life. Is this human rights Should the medical authorities not be activated to do something This is not a case to be left aside and forgotten.
After the assault left her without the ability to see, hear or speak, KEM nurses have been taking care of her, bathing her and feeding her. Irony is that when she actually needed protection she was raped and now Male employees are kept out and the hospital room kept locked for Shanbaug's safety. Some new recruits are not aware of her past, but KEM authorities and staff make that extra effort to ensure that her life is a little happier, entering the room and checking in on her five times a day.
My views on mercy killings are very clear. It should be allowed after framing proper rules. A duly authorised medical panel should certify that the condition of the person in question has reached an irretrievable stage following which he or she should be allowed to die. In case the patient is not conscious, his closest relatives should be involved in the process. They should be allowed to take a call on whether or not to put an end to the life of the person. This should not mean that anybody can claim to be the closest relative of the patient and decide on mercy killing. There should be a proper framework to identify the closest relative. And, of course, this too should be carried out only after due medical certification. Many people question the fact that the Constitution allows the right to life but does not permit the right to death. However, what competent courts have established not be forgotten. The right to life means right to life with dignity. And the right to life with dignity entails the right to die in a dignified way. There is no point in forcing a person to live in horrible and undignified circumstances and also make him die under similar circumstances.Doubts being raised about the possible misuse of the provisions are misplaced. Considering that somebody tries to pass off a case that can be salvaged as “irretrievable”, possibly with an ulterior vested interest, that person would be liable to face murder charges. As it is, medical certification in each case will be a must. Another line of thought being floated is that since God has given us life, only He has the right to take it away. I believe this lies in the realm of religious discourse. We have to look at the more practical aspects of life. I, however, don’t understand how forcing a human being to live for several years with machines all around him and needles thrust into his or her body is an act of kindness when compared to putting a dignified end to his life. Also, we are a country where beds are in short supply compared to patients. Though one can’t say that a person should not be given all possible medical attention and treatment to save his life and improve his condition, but if it is medically proven that the case is irretrievable, then I do not believe there is anything positive about keeping a bed occupied. years, a room in Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital's ward 4 has been reserved for one special patient. Behind locked doors, hidden by brown curtains, lies 61-year-old Aruna Shanbaug, a former nurse at the hospital who has spent three decades in a vegetative state in the room after a brutal sexual assault. I understand We have no moral right to terminate her life. But one should agree that Anruna needs salvation.
However, even doctors in favour of euthanasia it is a weak case for assisted death. In order to qualify for euthanasia, a person should ask for it voluntarily, has to be of sound mind, must have exhausted all the existing treatment modalities along with pain management and the disease must be incurable. This case is weak in the sense that she is in a vegetative state and the question of power of attorney comes into picture