A few countries have legalized euthanasia or mercy killing, as it is called. It is based on the pain and suffering of the body and mind of a patient. If a patient deliberately wants to leave his body due to whatever reasons, it is his choice. Generally, the proper way to do it is for the patient to quietly stop eating, that is to say fast, and while he is still conscious, to try focusing his mind on God. It is the method that ancient spiritual texts, Hindu as well as Jain, recommend if an old man who is greatly debilitated wants to depart. It is called prayopavesan. It doesn’t need the sanction of law, nor does it need the doctor to do anything.
However, other methods, such as the doctor administering a drug to help a person depart, would rather go in the category of assisted suicide and can be a very tricky issue, as it can open doors to possibilities of crime as well. Imagine another person who is old but without terminal illness who finds life difficult to bear. Should a doctor take pity and help him die? Or someone in Coma who is unable to make a choice. Should a doctor or even a relative make a decision on his behalf? Taking off critical life support in a patient whose recovery is impossible is one thing, but actively assisting death is quite another. In terminal cases or simply in an old patient who has lived his full life, it is best not to put him on life support and let him depart peacefully. But for this, it is best that the patient makes a choice while still conscious, not to push beyond a point. In the absence of any such statement or document from the patient, one cannot make a choice later on his behalf and pull the plugs. How do we know what experience is going on within the patient? How do we know whether this suffering is not a purifying ordeal whose gains and imprints will not be carried to other lives? Until we know these truths through an inner awakening, it is best not to choose death for someone on their behalf. And if the patient wants to leave, let it be like the fading of a flower (through fasting) rather than like an abrupt cutting of the chord of life under a butcher’s knife.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
