Serious debate on euthanasia needed

New Delhi (PTI) - Indian Government on Monday said a
serious debate was needed on the issue of euthanasia as there
were no laws at present on it in the country after the Supreme
Court rejected a mercy killing petition on behalf of a
comatosed woman, a victim of a brutal sexual assault.
"There is no question of concurring or not with the
judgement. But in fact, they (Supreme Court) are right that
without a law you cannot resort to this kind of a decision
with a judicial order," the country's Law Minister M Veerappa
Moily told reporters here.
A bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha
Mishra dismissed the plea filed on behalf of KEM hospital
nurse Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug, who has been in a vegetative
state in India's western state Mumbai hospital for the last 37
years.
Moily said the Right to Life is a right vested with
a person. "Therefore, there is a need for a serious debate
into the matter. It has to be examined, it has to be debated
upon," he said.
But the Law Minister, at the same time, agreed that
there were a lot of humanitarian points to be looked into and
said such petitions cannot be used as "an instrument" to kill
somebody.
He pointed that even in the United States, there is no
general law to grant such permission expect in two states.