Passive Euthanasia: Legal Acceptance and Ethical Concerns

The right to life is one of the most paramount concepts that has undergone a lot of expansion over the years. The area it encompasses further proves that it has enough necessity to expand to protect the interests of every person living in the country, and not only citizens. That being said, Article 21, declaring the right to life and personal liberty to all the people in the country, has further gone on to create a dilemma as to the existence of a ‘Right to die with dignity’ with that of Article 21. By clearing the clouds of confusion on this point, the court expanded the scope of this right under Article 21 by legalising passive euthanasia. The application of the legalisation was done recently in a case, with certain relaxations, which sparked discussions throughout the country. This article aims to analyse the legal side and the evolution of the expansion of the Right to life and Personal liberty to the realm of the Right to die with dignity, as different from suicide. Moreover, it also tries to throw light on the various landmark cases that shaped the events till March 2026, ending with the ending with the ethical concerns of the same.