<p>Suffering from an acutely agonising slipped disc condition for many years, the former teacher wants a quick and painful death which she thinks is her due. Diabetes has added frustration with life.<br /><br />For the last 10 years, Karibasamma has been campaigning for access to euthanasia. She has collected 10,000 signatures in support of her campaign and sent them in bundles of 1,000 to the president, the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and the State Government.<br /><br />And now, she has approached the High Court seeking seeking euthanasia, and on Tuesday the High Court ordered notice to the State Government and the Centre in connection with her petitition. Justice Ajit Gunjal directed the State Government to submit <br />the health report of the petitioner by the next date of hearing.<br /><br />Pramila Nesargi, counsel for the petitioner, said in her submission that her client had consulted several doctors, who resorted to non-surgical, conservative methods, owing to the age factor of the petitioner. <br /><br />Representations<br /><br />Submitting a list of representations submitted by her to the President, Karnataka Governor’s secretariat, National Human Rights Commission, Chairman of Law Commission, Secretary, Home office, Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Prime Minister’s office seeking mercy killing, the counsel said these did not elicit any response.<br /><br />Citing the case of Aruna Shanbaug who had sought euthanasia before the Supreme Court, the petitioner submitted that the Apex Court has accepted another plea where the Society for the right to die with dignity has been impleaded to examine whether a person should be given a right to refuse being put on life support system.<br /><br />She also mentioned about the case of Neena Bonarji, who had instructed her daughter Nisha Bhambani to take off her life support and submitted a list of 10,000 people who are of the view that Euthanasia has to be legalised.<br /><br />The petitioner seeking direction to State and Centre to grant permission to end her life, sought a direction to the State to constitute a commission or committee to intelligibly and humanely legalise Euthanasia and exclude her from sectioon 306 (suicide) of IPC.<br /><br />Dignified death<br /><br />Seated in her little spartan room at Ananda Dhama, a home for senior citizens, Karibasamma is vocal about right to mercy death.<br /><br />“If I seek death because I cannot bear the pain, such death should not be considered suicide, but a dignified end,” she says.<br /><br />“The doctors have no answer to my problem. There is no guarantee that surgery make me better. So, there is only one way left.”<br /><br />The suggestion by doctors to rest has not helped the petitioner. To get rid of the pain, she wanted to end her life through euthanasia or physician assisted death. “Being a retired teacher she did not want to commit suicide,” the petitioner’s counsel argued.</p>
<p>Suffering from an acutely agonising slipped disc condition for many years, the former teacher wants a quick and painful death which she thinks is her due. Diabetes has added frustration with life.<br /><br />For the last 10 years, Karibasamma has been campaigning for access to euthanasia. She has collected 10,000 signatures in support of her campaign and sent them in bundles of 1,000 to the president, the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and the State Government.<br /><br />And now, she has approached the High Court seeking seeking euthanasia, and on Tuesday the High Court ordered notice to the State Government and the Centre in connection with her petitition. Justice Ajit Gunjal directed the State Government to submit <br />the health report of the petitioner by the next date of hearing.<br /><br />Pramila Nesargi, counsel for the petitioner, said in her submission that her client had consulted several doctors, who resorted to non-surgical, conservative methods, owing to the age factor of the petitioner. <br /><br />Representations<br /><br />Submitting a list of representations submitted by her to the President, Karnataka Governor’s secretariat, National Human Rights Commission, Chairman of Law Commission, Secretary, Home office, Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Prime Minister’s office seeking mercy killing, the counsel said these did not elicit any response.<br /><br />Citing the case of Aruna Shanbaug who had sought euthanasia before the Supreme Court, the petitioner submitted that the Apex Court has accepted another plea where the Society for the right to die with dignity has been impleaded to examine whether a person should be given a right to refuse being put on life support system.<br /><br />She also mentioned about the case of Neena Bonarji, who had instructed her daughter Nisha Bhambani to take off her life support and submitted a list of 10,000 people who are of the view that Euthanasia has to be legalised.<br /><br />The petitioner seeking direction to State and Centre to grant permission to end her life, sought a direction to the State to constitute a commission or committee to intelligibly and humanely legalise Euthanasia and exclude her from sectioon 306 (suicide) of IPC.<br /><br />Dignified death<br /><br />Seated in her little spartan room at Ananda Dhama, a home for senior citizens, Karibasamma is vocal about right to mercy death.<br /><br />“If I seek death because I cannot bear the pain, such death should not be considered suicide, but a dignified end,” she says.<br /><br />“The doctors have no answer to my problem. There is no guarantee that surgery make me better. So, there is only one way left.”<br /><br />The suggestion by doctors to rest has not helped the petitioner. To get rid of the pain, she wanted to end her life through euthanasia or physician assisted death. “Being a retired teacher she did not want to commit suicide,” the petitioner’s counsel argued.</p>
