What is the case of Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug v. Union of India (2011)?
How did the case dealt with the issue of passive euthanasia and the withdrawal of medical treatment with the intention of hastening a patient's death?
Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug v. Union of India was a landmark case in India that dealt with the issue of passive euthanasia, or the withdrawal of medical treatment with the intention of hastening a patient's death. The case was heard by the Supreme Court of India and was decided in 2011.
The case was brought before the court by the family of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse who had been in a persistent vegetative state for over 37 years after being raped and strangled by a ward boy in 1973. The family sought permission to withdraw the life support that was keeping Shanbaug alive, arguing that she was in a state of permanent unconsciousness and had no hope of recovery.