An Andhra man submitted a petition in a local court in Chittoor on Saturday seeking euthanasia for his four-year-old son, who was suffering from bone cancer since birth.
The Hindu reported:
Buttaiah, who plays traditional instruments at functions, is a native of Dinnepalle village of Ramasamudram mandal. His son, Mahesh, was diagnosed with bone cancer a few weeks after birth. Since then, Buttaiah and his spouse have taken the child for treatment to various hospitals in Chennai, Bengaluru, Vellore and Mumbai, spending all their earnings and disposing of their properties to the tune of more than Rs. 15 lakh. Driven to helplessness and poverty, the couple have sought mercy killing for the child.
However, the report adds that the court turned down the petition.
The Deccan Chronicle recently reported that the numbers of Euthanasia demands have been growing and many of the patients express their inability to bear the cost of healthcare as a reason to end their lives.
Last month, a couple approached Telangana's State Human Rights Commission asking for the mercy killing of their 11-year-old daughter, who was suffering from a rare liver disease.