The whole debate on euthanasia and its intricacies seem infructuous in a nation where millions of people lack access to affordable health care (“The will to die”, Oct. 12 ). Should we be debating people’s right to die when their right to live has been compromised by poor health-care facilities in many parts of India?
People who make “living wills” would effectively be signing their own death warrants, though pulling the plug will happen only under the due process of the law. It is facile to expect that the euthanasia law and its protocols would be adhered to in letter and spirit however “robust” the safeguards may be, given that the law commands neither fear nor respect in our society. With old-age homes mushrooming everywhere, the need of the hour is to effectively address the social, physical, psychological and economic needs of the growing elderly population.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
