Abstract: Clinicians are increasingly concerned about palliative care and quality of life issues for patients with terminal illnesses, such as advanced cancer and AIDS, in our culture. Euthanasia, also known as "mercy-killing," of terminally sick individuals, has emerged as a contentious subject alongside this one. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) proponents believe that a person's right to autonomy inherently grants him the ability to choose a painless end to his life. The opponents believe that a doctor's involvement in a patient's death goes against a fundamental principle of the medical field. Furthermore, untreated depression and the potential for societal "coercion" among those seeking euthanasia raise additional concerns about the morality of the practice. Strict requirements for implementing PAS are the result of these issues. It becomes necessary to evaluate the mental health of the individual giving their consent to PAS, and here is where the psychiatrist's involvement becomes crucial. Despite being illegal in our nation, PAS has a number of supporters in the shape of nonprofit groups like the "Death with Dignity" Foundation. The recent Honourable Supreme Court ruling in the Aruna Shaunbag case has given this a boost. How long it takes for the Indian legislature to be shaken by this delicate topic is still up in the air.
SARADA SAHA (Tue,) studied this question.