48-year-old Delhi man seeks euthanasia in Switzerland; Friend moves HC to stop him

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
12:
A
Bengaluru-based
woman
has
filed
a
petition
before
the
Delhi
High
Court
appealing
the
court
to
stop
her
friend,
a
48-year-old
man
based
in
Noida,
from
travelling
to
Switzerland
allegedly
to
undergo
physician-assisted
suicide,
also
known
as
euthanasia.
The
high
court
is
likely
to
hear
the
case
next
week,
reported
The
Indian
Express.

The
petition,
filed
on
Wednesday,
10
August,
claims
that
the
man
is
suffering
from
Chronic
Fatigue
Syndrome
since
2014
(known
internationally
as
Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis).
It
is
a
disease
characterized
by
post-exertional
malaise,
brain
fog,
headaches,
sleep
disturbance,
dyspnea,
and
chest
pain.

The
woman
in
her
plea
appealed
the
court
to
restrict
his
travel
to
Europe,
as
his
action
will
cause
“irreparable
loss”
and
“hardship”
to
his
parents,
other
family
members,
and
friends,
the
report
added.
The
man,
if
euthanised,
will
leave
behind
a
sister,
and
parents
who
are
in
their
seventies.

Such
can
be
suffering
that
man
seeks
euthanasia
as
he
cannot
afford
treatment
of
his
paralysed
sons

“It
is
pertinent
to
mention
that
there
is
no
financial
constraints
for
providing
[him]
with
better
treatments
within
India
or
abroad
but
he
is
now
adamant
on
his
decision
to
go
for
Euthanasia,
which
also
affects
the
life
of
age-old
parents
miserably,”
the
petition
stated.

The
petition
further
stated
that
the
man
was
undergoing
a
treatment
called
Fecal
Microbiota
Transplantation
at
AIIMS
Delhi,
but
he
could
not
continue
with
it
during
the
pandemic
due
to
“donor
availability
issues”.
His
condition
has
only
deteriorated
over
the
last
eight
years,
confining
him
to
his
bed
except
for
a
few
steps
inside
his
house.

It
also
claims
that
the
man
travelled
to
Zurich
in
June
via
Belgium
for
the
first
round
of
psychological
evaluation
for
euthanasia.
He
obtained
a
Schengen
visa,
which
allows
unrestricted
travel
to
26
European
countries,
by
providing
“false
information”
that
he
wants
to
seek
treatment
at
a
clinic
in
Belgium.

“According
to
the
information
received
by
the
Petitioner,
his
application
was
accepted
by
Dignitas
(a
Zurich-based
organisation),
first
evaluation
was
approved
and
(he
is)
now
awaiting
the
final
decision
by
the
end
of
August
2022,”
the
petition
claimed.

The
Supreme
Court,
in
its
landmark
ruling
in
2018,
made
passive
euthanasia
legal
for
terminally
ill
patients,
allowing
them
to
decline
life
support
measures,
and
letting
the
families
of
patients
in
an
incurable
coma
withdraw
such
measures.