Why is it in the news?

• Centre opposes legalizing ‘living wills.’

Centres argument

• Passive euthanasia, the act of withdrawing life support to a terminally-ill patient, is already the law of the land, the government told a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court itself, in 2011, had issued comprehensive guidelines allowing passive euthanasia in the tragic case of the bed-ridden former Mumbai nurse Aruna Shanbaug.
• In her case the staff of KEM Hospital took care of her until her natural death in 2015.
• The government said it was finalising a draft law on passive euthanasia called 'The Management of Patients With Terminal Illness – Withdrawal of Medical Life Support Bill', which was drawn up in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission of India that life support can be withdrawn for patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS) or suffering an irreversible medical condition.

Centre on 'living will'

• The Centre, however, objected to legalizing the concept of ‘Living Will’ — an advance written directive to physicians for end-of-life medical care.
• It pointed out that this may lead to the abuse and neglect of the elderly, especially if they were financially well-off.
• The government pointed out that the living will be a concept which contradicts a person's instinctive urge to survive. 

What is passive and active euthanasia?

• "Passive euthanasia" is usually defined as withdrawing medical treatment with the deliberate intention of causing the patient's death.
• "Active euthanasia" is taking specific steps to cause the patient's death, such as injecting the patient with poison. In practice, this is usually an overdose of pain-killers or sleeping pills.