KARACHI:
While countries such as the US, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada have legally allowed Euthanasia, no Muslim country has authorised it yet, primarily because it is considered an act of interfering in the jurisdiction of God. This is precisely why there has been a huge global debate on whether or not Euthanasia should be allowed on moral or religious grounds. Even in the West, a huge percentage of the population considers it as a sin.
In my opinion, Euthanasia ought to be allowed legally but only in extremely rare cases and under dire circumstances. The criteria for it should be made by the state itself, assisted by competent medical professionals. Occasionally, a person catches a disease that is neither terminal nor does it have any cure. The quality of life of such a person deteriorates with time till they eventually die. Here, the patient as well as the caretakers have to go through great trauma and suffering. Sometimes, a patient is in such a bad shape that he continues to suffer from pain without relief.
Under such circumstances, such an individual must be given the right to put up a written request to the government for professional evaluation and if approved, Euthanasia ought to be carried out. The act should be performed after careful scrutiny, in extremely rare cases, under a controlled legal and professional framework.
Awais Mushtaq
Multan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2021.
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