A 66 year old nurse in India who was sexually abused and assaulted and left in a vegetative state for more than 40 years died on Monday .
In November 1973, Aruna Shanbaug was attacked by a ward attendant in the basement at the King Albert Memorial Hospital in Mumbai as the 26 years old nurse was finishing her night shift. Aruna Shanbaug was strangled with a dog chain and was sexually abused. She was discovered 11 hours after the incident, blinded and was suffering severe brain injury. She became bedridden and was taken by team of doctors and nurses for more than four decades. The suspect or attacker being freed after served a seven years sentenced in jail.
In recent days Shanbaug suffered pneumonia and she was attached to a ventilator as reported by the officials of the Hospital.
Pinki Virani, Shanbaug’s friend told the Zee News TV Channel stating “Her actual death happened in 1973 (the date of the attack). Now what has happened is her legal death,”.”Our Aruna has given our country a big thing in the form of a law on passive euthanasia”, she added.
Shanbaug’s case was caught to a debate about euthanasia in India, in 1999 Verani appealed to Indian top court to allow Shanbaug to die with dignity, but euthanasia is not allowed or permitted in the countries law.
In 2011, the Supreme Court made a decision about life support wherein it can be legally removed on some terminally ill patients for the first time. According to the report it is only allowed and in exceptional circumstances provided by the families request with the supervision of court and by doctors.
However, Virani’s appeal was rejected for some grounds that is she was not eligible to make such request.
Leave a Reply