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Famous euthanasia cases across the world
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Last Updated: Mon, Mar 07, 2011 19:50 hrs0 Comments


New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The contentious issue of euthanasia, mercy killing, hascaught legal and public attention in the past both in India and abroad.

While it is illegal in most countries, a few countries have allowed mercy killing under specific conditions.

The case of ArunaShanbaug (63), a former nurse who remains in coma for over 37 years has attracted wide public attention in India.

However, there have been a few other instances in India where mercy killing wassought.

The Supreme Court Monday rejected a petition for the mercy killing of Shanbaug, who has been in a 'persistent vegetative state' for the past 37 years after being sodomised by a hospitalsweeper Nov 27, 1973. The court permitted passive euthanasia if this was allowed by a high court. Shanbaug remains under care in Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital.

Jeet Narayan of Mirzapur inUttar Pradesh in 2008 pleaded for euthanasia for his four sons - Durgesh (22), Sarvesh (18), Brijesh (13) and Sushil (10) - all crippled and paralysed below the neck. tNarayan wrote to the presidentof India, but his plea was rejected.


Dilip Machua (30), a slag picker from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand who was paralysed due to an accident in November 2008, wrote to President Pratibha Patil formercy death. He died later.

Some of other famous euthanasia cases in the world

Australia: John Whylie - died from an overdose of Nembutal, a powerful sleeping pill, in Sydney. His wife ShirleyJustins and friend Caren Jenning were accused of assisting his suicide-cum-murder.

Canada: Sue Rodriguez, popularly known as 'Victoria woman' and diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 1991, askedlegislators in 1992 to change the law banning assisted suicide. The Supreme Court rejected her plea, but she committed suicide in 1994 with the help of an anonymous doctor.

England: Anthony Bland, in...