Indian SC permits passive euthanasia
India's top court yesterday ruled that terminally ill patients have the right to refuse care, approving the use of "living wills" to set out how they want to be treated.
The Supreme Court's order -- hailed as "historic" by petitioners -- means medical treatment can be withdrawn to hasten a person's death, a practice known as passive euthanasia.
The ruling means the family of someone in a permanent vegetative state and unable to communicate could withdraw life support in accordance with the patient's wishes.
The justices gave the green light to living wills, legal documents that allow adults to express their preference on how they want to be treated if they become terminally ill or slip into an incurable coma.
It enshrines the right to refuse care, although under strictly controlled conditions.
The Press Trust of India news agency said that in each living will, a court-appointed medical panel will review the instructions before they can be carried out.
With the latest decision, India joins a growing list of countries including Britain, France, Germany and Spain that recognise living wills.
Indian law does not permit active euthanasia or assisted suicide, in which patients are helped by doctors to end their lives.
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