BMJ  2005;330:1389 (11 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7504.1389

Letter

"Right to die"

Situation is different in developing countries...

EDITOR—Grayling's editorial on the "right to die" and the various responses to it are interesting.¹ I also followed Terry Schiavo's case closely, and I agree with the decision taken by the court. But what happens in developing countries is different.

The laws are the same and are more rigid in these countries. The medical decision to end life is influenced more by financial considerations than by the sanctity of life. Terry Schiavo would not have lived for 15 years if she had been born in a developing country and had been in a vegetative state. Governments in developing countries do not have the means to take care of such patients, and neither do the husbands, parents, and relatives. They do not guarantee the right to life for people who do not have the minimum means for living, let alone a decent living. The argument about a right to die becomes meaningless, and ethical considerations take on a different relevance.

SDUMC (Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College), Kolar, Karnataka, India 567103 vrunda_l{at}dataone.in

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Competing interests: None declared.

References

1. Grayling AG. "Right to die." BMJ 2005;330: 799. (9 April.)[Free Full Text]

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