Growing awareness about terminal as well as mental illness has given credence to the idea of "living wills". What is a living will? Discuss the ethical issues to be considered from an individual as well as social perspective to formulate and implement it.

Recent debates & SC hearings on the issue of Living Will & Euthanasia has brought the issue to limelight.

Living Will is a form of advance directive where a person in his full consciousness lays down the course of action to be taken in case of some terminal illness he suffers from later. It helps in avoiding ethical & legal complications when he himself is unable to take any decision because of the body state.

Ethical issues :

i) Individuals suffers from daily pain & fear of death & dies everyday slowly

ii) Instead of a death of dignity he lives with a life of humiliation

iii) Society, specially the family, needs to prioritise on prolonging imminent death vs being rational & cater to their own needs. eg. Education of next generation

iv) Any act of active or passive euthanasia

leaves a feeling of guilt & remorse in the Doctor concerned.

Morality is important but it cannot be at the cost of humiliating an individual as in the case of Aruna Shanbaug. Passive Euthanasia with social acceptance is needed to resolve this dilemma