The Union Health Ministry has published preliminary guidelines on passive euthanasia titled 'Draft Guidelines for Withdrawal of Life Support in Terminally Ill Patients.' Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback and suggestions on the draft until October 20th. The draft defines terminal illness as an irreversible or incurable condition leading to inevitable death in the near future. It outlines four conditions for withdrawal of life support, including brainstem death declaration, medical prognosis indicating no benefit from aggressive treatment, documented informed refusal by patient or surrogate, and compliance with Supreme Court procedures.

Responding to the guidelines, Dr. R V Asokan, the national President of IMA, stated that such clinical decisions are traditionally made in good faith by doctors, involving thorough explanation to patients' relatives for informed consent. He emphasized that decisions should consider individual circumstances and medical expertise rather than rigid guidelines. Passive euthanasia involves withholding or withdrawing medical treatments allowing a natural death, such as turning off ventilators, feeding tubes, or medications. Unlike active euthanasia, it does not involve direct actions to cause death but allows nature to take its course.The act of passive euthanasia is often contemplated when a person is experiencing a terminal illness with little hope of recovery or is in a persistent vegetative state. Choices regarding passive euthanasia are usually made based on the patient's preferences, advance directives, or through the involvement of family members and healthcare proxies in cases where the patient is unable to make decisions. While this practice raises ethical concerns, it is allowed in many countries under particular guidelines and circumstances. Stress and its effects on skin and hairEuthanasia is legalized in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland, where assisted suicide is also permitted. In Canada, both euthanasia and assisted suicide are allowed, while specific states in the U.S. such as Oregon, Washington, and California permit assisted suicide with stringent regulations. Colombia has also passed laws legalizing euthanasia. Each jurisdiction has established precise criteria, such as terminal illness or intolerable suffering, that must be satisfied for euthanasia or assisted suicide to be carried out within the confines of the law.