With reference to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in the Harish Rana vs. Union of India case, consider the following statements regarding euthanasia in India:
- The fundamental right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution encompasses dignity until death, consequently including the right to die with dignity.
- While the law permits the withdrawal of life-support systems under strict medical guidelines, the deliberate administration of lethal substances to accelerate a patient's death remains a criminal offense.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct because the right to live with dignity under Article 21 has been read to include dignity until death, and therefore the right to die with dignity. Statement 2 is also correct: the Harish Rana case allowed passive euthanasia, the withdrawal of life support under strict medical guidelines, while active euthanasia, the deliberate administration of a lethal substance, remains a criminal offence.