Ethics of Legalization of Euthanasia in the Indian Context
Abstract
Euthanasia remains one of the most ethically and spiritually contested issues in modern healthcare. This paper explores the multifaceted ethical debates and religious perspectives that shape global and regional attitudes toward euthanasia, with a particular focus on India. Ethically, euthanasia raises critical questions about autonomy, dignity, and the role of medical professionals in end-of-life care. While proponents argue for the right to die with dignity and relief from unbearable suffering, opponents cite the sanctity of life, potential for coercion, and the slippery slope toward non-voluntary euthanasia. Religious traditions significantly influence these views. Hinduism and Buddhism, though varied in interpretation, often discourage euthanasia due to beliefs in karma and the spiritual importance of natural death. Christianity and Islam largely oppose euthanasia, citing divine sovereignty over life and death. In contrast, some secular ethical frameworks prioritize individual rights and quality of life. The paper also considers how these religious and moral tensions impact legislation and access to palliative care, particularly in resource-strained settings. Ultimately, understanding the ethical and spiritual dimensions of euthanasia is essential for shaping compassionate and culturally sensitive healthcare policies that respect both patient autonomy and deeply held beliefs.
References
Annadurai, K., Danasekaran, R., & Mani, G. (2014). Euthanasia: Right to die with dignity. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 3(4), 477–478. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311376/
Srivastava, V. (2014). Euthanasia: A regional perspective. Annals of Neurosciences, 21(3), 81.
Kumari, P. (2024). Dying with dignity: The legal and ethical dimensions of passive euthanasia in India. European Economic Letters, 14(4), 1271–1282. https://doi.org/10.52783/eel.v14i4.2256
Sinha, V., Basu, S., & Sarkhel, S. (2012). Euthanasia: An Indian perspective. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(2), 177. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.99537
Gula, R. M. (1987, December 1). Euthanasia: A Catholic perspective. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10285411/
Grove, G., Lovell, M., & Best, M. (2022). Perspectives of major world religions regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide: A comparative analysis. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(6), 4758–4782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01498-5
Spina, B. (1998). Ethical justifications for voluntary active euthanasia. Richmond Journal of Law & Public Interest, 3(1), 71–80. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/jolpi/vol3/iss1/6
Nimbalkar, N. (2007). Euthanasia: The Hindu perspective. In Proceedings of the National Seminar on Bio Ethics.
Mangino, D. R., Bernhard, T., Wakim, P., & Kim, S. Y. (2021). Assessing public's attitudes towards euthanasia and assisted suicide of persons with dementia based on their advance request: An experimental survey of US public. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(4), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2020.07.013
González, D., & Martínez, J. L. (2021). Active and passive euthanasia: Current opinion of Mexican medical students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1–9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7854974/
DocBox. (2024, September 23). Healthcare access in rural India. https://docboxmed.com/healthcare-access-in-rural-india/
Chandra, A., Debnath, A., & Nongkynrih, B. (2023). Palliative care need in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 29(4), 375–387. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38058486/
Ahmad, F., & Mohanty, P. C. (2024). Incidence and intensity of catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment among the elderly: An empirical evidence from India. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 15908. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55142-1
Han, L., Wang, Y., Hu, K., Tang, Z., & Song, X. (2020). The therapeutic efficacy of Huashi Baidu formula combined with antiviral drugs in the treatment of COVID-19. Medicine, 99(42), e22715. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000022715
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2020, June 29). Autonomy in moral and political philosophy (Fall 2020 ed.). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2020/entries/autonomy-moral/
Varkey, B. (2020). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119
Varkey, B. (2021). Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119
Draghici, C. (2015). The blanket ban on assisted suicide: Between moral paternalism and utilitarian justice. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2694087
Panayiotou, P. (2023). Beneficence cannot justify voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Journal of Medical Ethics, 50(6), 384–387. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2023-109079
Pugh, J. (2020). Informed consent, autonomy, and beliefs. In Autonomy, Rationality, and Contemporary Bioethics. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556864/
Fontalis, A., Prousali, E., & Kulkarni, K. (2018). Euthanasia and assisted dying: What is the current position and what are the key arguments informing the debate? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 111(11), 407–413. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076818803452
Tran, M., Honarmand, K., Sibbald, R., Priestap, F., Oczkowski, S., & Ball, I. M. (2021). Socioeconomic status and medical assistance in dying: A regional descriptive study. Journal of Palliative Care, 37(3), 359–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/08258597211053088
Berens, N., Wasserman, D., Wakim, P., Bernhard, T., & Kim, S. Y. H. (2022). Resource limitation and ‘forced irremediability’ in physician-assisted deaths for nonterminal mental and physical conditions: A survey of the US public. Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, 63(4), 302–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaclp.2021.12.010
Loewy, E. H. (2005). In defense of paternalism. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 26(6), 445–468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-005-2203-0
Rietjens, J. A. C., Van Der Maas, P. J., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D., Van Delden, J. J. M., & Van Der Heide, A. (2009). Two decades of research on euthanasia from the Netherlands: What have we learnt and what questions remain? Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 6(3), 271–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-009-9172-3
Rajoria, S., & Khan, H. (2024). The role of consent in euthanasia: Autonomy vs. paternalism. International Journal of Law, Management and Humanities, 7(3), 874.
Jayasheela, N., Dinesha, P. T., & Hans, V. B. (2008). Financial inclusion and microfinance in India: An overview. FinDev Gateway. https://www.microfinancegateway.org/paper/2008/01/financial-inclusion-and-microfinance india overview
Block, S. D. (2006). Psychological considerations, growth and transcendence at the end of life: The art of the possible. JAMA, 295(24), 3023–3031. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.24.3023
Copyright (c) 2025 Kaavya Mukherjee Saha
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
