In the end there was a sense of resignation and loss. All entreaties, persuasion, reason had failed. On August 9, 2024, author, essayist, historian Zareer Masani willfully opted for assisted dying in Basel, Switzerland (see "A maverick dissenter,” pg 29). Switzerland is among the few countries where euthanasia is legal. Masani did not want to face the same vegetative end as his statesman-politician father, Minoo. Zareer had postponed the date set for his death twice; and when asked if this was "the last farewell?” replied, "Yes.”
A heavy smoker in his younger days, he had in recent times undergone an aortic valve transplant to ease breathing discomfort but still complained about difficulty. After the death of his rescue dog, Susie, about a year ago, he felt he had no one to live for. He bequeathed much of his estate to charities, especially for canines.
His decision again raised questions about assisted dying and euthanasia. His father and others such as urologist Dr Burjor Colabavala had formed The Society for the Right to Die with Dignity in May 1981. They urged that the Indian laws be amended to permit euthanasia albeit with adequate safeguards to avoid misuse or abuse. In the November 1995 quarterly issue of Freedom First that he once edited, Minoo wrote, "The classical Hindu tradition is that when a man has served his purpose, performed his functions in life, brought up a family and has no direct obligations, it is time for him to retire. He need not die but he should retire from life. It is called sanyas and it takes the form of going to a jungle, or going up the peaks of the Himalayas, getting lost and never being heard of again.”
He stressed that retirement/suicide "is a voluntary thing, and those who like me have seen the play Whose Life Is It Anyway? by British writer Brian Clark about a patient who is paralyzed from neck downwards following a car accident, remember the victim sculptor Ken Harrison saying, ‘If I choose to live, it would be appalling if society killed me. If I choose to die, it is equally appalling if society keeps me alive.’”
But as Zareer noted about his father, "He came to fear death the more infirm he became. I don’t want to go that way. I’ve no Sheila (Minoo’s fourth wife) to cushion the end. Better to go a little early than leave it too late.”
Parsiana asked Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal for the Zoroastrian view on euthanasia to which the scholar priest replied (see "Not a Zoroastrian act,” pg 30): "The taking of one’s life is seen as a grave sin. The theological precepts of the faith teach that any evil must be faced, diminished, and ultimately removed from the physical world.”
On this August 20 the Supreme Court of India turned down a plea by the aged parents of a 30-year-old son "who has been lying comatose at home for 11 years following a fall from the fourth floor of a building” in 2013, stated The Hindu of August 21. The court noted the person sustained extensive head injuries, but "was not on a ventilator or any kind of life support. He was still taking in nutrition through a food pipe. Letting him go would amount to passive euthanasia, as he was not dependent on any external device to stay alive.
"Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life support or treatment necessary for maintaining life. In this case, it would amount to active euthanasia, which is not legal,” the Bench told the parents’ counsel, concurring with a Delhi High Court order that "had refused to constitute a medical board to consider their plea for euthanizing their son.” The parents "had exhausted both their savings and willpower taking care of their son,” noted the daily.
"The Court urged (the additional solicitor general) to consider the possibility of moving the patient to a government hospital or some other similar place for treatment and care... and (examine) if any humanitarian solution can be found other than passive euthanasia... The Court is mindful that the parents are now aged and cannot care for their son who is bedridden for so many years.”
Aside from the moral, religious and legal aspect, the economic factor plays an important part in euthanasia. Not everyone can afford a trip to a country abroad that permits euthanasia plus the actual cost of assisted dying. According to the UK-based Dignity in Dying organization website, charges zoomed 50% from £ 10,000 (Rs 11 lakhs) to £ 15,000 (Rs 16 lakhs) over the past five years "for a person traveling to a specialist Swiss clinic to die on their terms… Research commissioned reveals that this cost would be unaffordable for almost two-thirds (63%) of people in England and Wales, where it is banned in all forms should they need it.” The website further states, "Over half (57%) of people in England and Wales have seen a loved one suffer at the end of their life.” According to the study, 42% "would have considered an assisted death had it been a legal option for them in the UK.”
But aside from being able to afford assisted dying, safeguards are built into the system to ensure that the taking of one’s own life is not a casual decision. In countries where assisted dying is legal, applicants may be required to submit a written request witnessed by two people, one of whom cannot be a family member. The patient’s doctor would have to state whether he/she is eligible for the drug and finally the applicant must administer the specified lethal dose by his/her own hand. The legal and moral requirements vary from place to place.
"There is only one really serious philosophical question and that is suicide,” stated the French philosopher and writer Albert Camus in his book, The Myth of Sisyphus. Put in another way, what purpose does our existence serve? Is the world a better place because we live in it? Perhaps for Zareer the answer may lie in a post from his historian friend Alan Lester on X (formerly Twitter) that was cited in Zareer’s obituary in Hindustan Times of August 12: "In the midst of a polarizing and too often hostile culture war over colonial history and politics (Zareer and I) at least found some common ground in our compassion for rescued dogs.” Perhaps life does have some meaning.