Can Man Play God : Should euthanasia b legalised

Man, god’s favorite child, has been bestowed upon with rare gifts -the
ability to control his fellow beings, command food, comfort and power.
But there are things that are out of bounds even to him –his arrival on
earth and departure from it: to shed the euphemism, his birth and
death. Thus, when an attempt is made to control these, it leads to an
ethical conflict. Euthanasia or mercy-killing is an issue toeing this
line, and hence carries profound moral implications. It is therefore
imperative for anyone to discuss both sides of this issue, before
attempting any judgment.

What is worse than death; it is
suffering, agony. An active brain caged in a body it cannot control, a
world it can perceive but cannot pertain to – isn’t this the very
epitome of agony? This is the plight of the ‘brain-dead’. They are
called ‘vegetables’, they are the living-dead. Alive but not awake -
the comatose and their loving relatives biding time in anguish –isn’t
this desperation personified. Devoid of medical hope, spiraling down
the path of no return, Euthanasia seems the only logical solution to
their predicament, it is the panacea. Many argue that it is but an act
of coup de grace.

Man conquers new frontiers everyday. Medical
advances and break-throughs renew hopes for many. ‘Medical miracles’
have brought back people from virtual death. There have been instances
of coma patients recovering after two decades. This ray of hope makes
the kith and kin of the patients pursue treatment and life-support for
their loved ones with blind hope, surmounting all odds. But how long
will they endure this?

Contrary to popular misconception and
much to the dismay of detractors of mercy-killing, the relatives of
these patients turn into vociferous advocates of euthanasia. After the
initial period of seemingly undiminished hope, they begin to understand
the sufferings of the patients and come to terms with the practical
questions o affordability of treatment, chances of recovery, and the
point(-less ness?) in waiting for miracles. In a recent case that raked
up the topic, an acute paralytic from Andhra wished to donate his
organs for which he would have to embrace death earlier than it
threatened to reach him. But he as denied his last wish by the law, he
died a couple of days later, an unhappy man.

So what really is
the solution? Should euthanasia be legalized? If yes, who is to decide
whether a case genuinely warrants it? The doctors, of course. But is it
fair to saddle the life preservers with such a burden, because when it
is a question of life or death, mistakes should not arise. Imagine
having to go to sleep the rest of your life with the miserable feeling
that you might have killed someone who might have recovered. It is also
important to safeguard against willful medical murders by those with
vested interests. Indiscriminate administration of euthanasia by
unskilled doctors would amount to the same.

It appears that
there can be no generalized verdict on this issue. Each case is unique,
should be separately scrutinized and decided upon. However this is
neither practical nor cost-effective. Therefore, select doctors could
be empowered by the government to use their discretion in this regard,
taking into account their merit and records.
With all these
safeguards, the devils in our minds can be alleviated considerably, but
of course, never rested. For no matter what, man can never play God.