Undergraduate MBBS Curriculum

1. Euthanasia (Mercy Killing)
Dr Nikita Prabhakaran G
Senior Resident

2. Eu= good, thanos=death
• Voluntarily putting to death
• Of a patient suffering from
• An incurable, terminal and extremely painful
condition

3. Classification
• According to Physicians Act
• 1. Active euthanasia
• 2. Passive euthanasia

4. (a) Active euthanasia
• An act of commission to bring an end to life
• Eg: giving lethal injection
• Legal in Belgium, Netherlands

6. • Howard Martin ( British doctor)
• Euthanized 18 patients in great pain giving
lethal dose of morphine injection
• 2005 he was tried for 3 murders  finally
acqquited
• But general medical council removed his name

7. (b) Passive euthanasia
• An act of omission  bring an end to life
• Eg: removing from ventilator
• Legal in India and some US States

8. India????
• Passive euthanasia was made legal
from 7 March 2011

9. Aruna Shanbaug case!!!!

10. • 1973 , 27 November
• Sohanlal Bharta walmiki
• Choked her with a dog chain
• Partial asphyxia cortical areas damaged!!!!
• Unconscious condition

11. • S 89 IPC, S 92 IPC
• No act done in good faith without consent is
an offence (exception- causing death)
• Section 304 IPC- punishment

12. Issue:
• Aruna deserved a decent death rather than
forcing her to live in a vegetative state

14. • Passive euthanasia under proper guidelines
was legalised (after almost 40 years)
• By means of withdrawal of life support to
patients in vegetative state.

15. Guidelines:
• Decision can be taken by
parents/ spouse/close/ relatives/
friend (if none else is available)/doctors
• Always in a bona-fide in the best interest of the patient
• Requires approval from the High court
• Chief justice of high court bench of two judges
• Bench a committee of three reputed doctors
• Before verdict a notice to close relatives and state
• After hearing the parties final verdict

16. Classification based on will of the
patient
• 1. Voluntary euthanasia
• 2. Involuntary euthanasia (against the will)
• 3. Non-voluntary euthanasia