Bengaluru woman approach Delhi HC to stop her friend from going abroad to undergo euthanasia

CHENNAI: A 49-year-old Bengaluru woman approached the Delhi High Court on Wednesday seeking to stop her male friend from travelling to Switzerland to undergo euthanasia.

According to Bar and Bench, the HC has been informed that the 48-year-old man from Noida was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - a complex, debilitating, long-term neuro inflammatory disease – in 2014, and since then, his condition has worsened so much so that he is now completely bed-ridden.

The petitioner has said that the patient was undergoing Fecal Microbiota Transplantation treatment in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for his condition, but faced "donor availability issues” during the pandemic, due to which he could not continue the same.

The friend in her writ petition to the high court claims that the 42-year-old patient is allegedly planning to undergo euthanasia through Zurich-based organisation Dignitas, which provides assistance to foreign nationals, The Quint reports.

The petition, Bar and Bench added,  thus sought a direction to the Union Minister of External Affairs (MEA) to reject emigration clearance to the man since he has made false claims before Indian as well as foreign authorities for getting travel clearance.

The petitioner also sought a direction to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to constitute a medical board to examine the man’s health and provide necessary assistance, considering his peculiar health condition, the report said.

The petition filed through Advocate Subhash Chandran KR is likely to be heard next week.