Supreme Court Ponders Passive Euthanasia for 31-Year-Old Quadriplegic

The Supreme Court is considering passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man, in a vegetative state with 100% disability from quadriplegia since 2013. AIIMS will form a secondary board to assess if life-sustaining treatment can be withdrawn. His parents have approached the court twice to seek euthanasia.

The Supreme Court is deliberating on granting passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade. The court has requested AIIMS to establish a secondary board to evaluate his condition and determine if life-support withdrawal is permissible.

Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan reviewed a primary board's report noting the patient's severe plight with extensive bedsores, highlighting his negligible recovery chance. The bench stressed the necessity of taking immediate action to improve his situation.

Despite prior pleas from his family, the patient, a former student of Punjab University and bedridden since a 2013 accident, had his euthanasia request denied based on survival without mechanical support, except for a feeding tube. The situation raises questions about quality of life and medical ethics.

(With inputs from agencies.)