For those of us who feel being raped could be the worst thing we've come across in life, cases of Aruna Shanbaug would surely leave us numb.
Aruna Shanbaug , is a former nurse from Haldipur, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka in India. In 1973, while working as a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, she was sexually assaulted by a ward boy, Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki and has been in a vegetative state since the assault. On 24 January 2011, after she had been in this status for 37 years, the Supreme Court of India responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by Aruna's friend journalist Pinki Virani, by setting up a medical panel to examine her. The court turned down the mercy killing petition on 7 March 2011. However in its landmark judgment, it allowed passive euthanasia in India. On the night of 27 November 1973, Shanbaug was sexually assaulted by Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, a sweeper on contract at the King Edward Memorial Hospital.Sohanlal attacked her while she was changing clothes in the hospital basement. He choked her with a dog chain and sodomized her. The asphyxiation cut off oxygen supply to her brain, resulting in brain stem contusion injury and cervical cord injury apart from leaving her cortically blind.The police case was registered as a case of robbery and attempted murder on account of the concealment of anal rape by the doctors under the instructions of the Dean of KEM, Dr. Deshpande, perhaps to avoid the social rejection of the victim,and her impending marriage.
" Sohanlal was caught and convicted, and served two concurrent seven-year sentences for assault and robbery, neither for rape or sexual molestation, nor for the unnatural sexual offence"
This wasn't even funny. How could our ' Responsible Government' possibly state this as a mere robbery and an assault while charming Aruna on the other hand had lost her life forever! She definitely would not see a happy sunshine again. Most of us don't even know if Aruna even existed. It's sad how some crimes go unseen. Not only did the Government free her victim after a small punishment, they didn't approve of plea's to die in peace. Wasn't it sufficient that she had an unpeaceful life?. She wasn't allowed to die in peace.
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain or suffering. For example, taking a patient off the ventilator in case of an irreversible coma. This practice can be either active or passive.Following the Aruna Shanbaug case, the Supreme Court has legalised passive. A mercy killing petition was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2011, but the court allowed withholding treatment so that the patient would die.
Aruna Shanbaug continues to be in pain since the last 41 years. She cannot speak or communicate, but she is partially conscious. Ever since the Supreme Court order, she must have been agonised with more pain now that all the treatments have stopped.
Shouldn’t the Supreme Court, then, reconsider this ordeal the lady has faced for her lifetime? Wasn’t that heinous rape enough?
Aruna Shanbaug , is a former nurse from Haldipur, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka in India. In 1973, while working as a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, she was sexually assaulted by a ward boy, Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki and has been in a vegetative state since the assault. On 24 January 2011, after she had been in this status for 37 years, the Supreme Court of India responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by Aruna's friend journalist Pinki Virani, by setting up a medical panel to examine her. The court turned down the mercy killing petition on 7 March 2011. However in its landmark judgment, it allowed passive euthanasia in India. On the night of 27 November 1973, Shanbaug was sexually assaulted by Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, a sweeper on contract at the King Edward Memorial Hospital.Sohanlal attacked her while she was changing clothes in the hospital basement. He choked her with a dog chain and sodomized her. The asphyxiation cut off oxygen supply to her brain, resulting in brain stem contusion injury and cervical cord injury apart from leaving her cortically blind.The police case was registered as a case of robbery and attempted murder on account of the concealment of anal rape by the doctors under the instructions of the Dean of KEM, Dr. Deshpande, perhaps to avoid the social rejection of the victim,and her impending marriage.
" Sohanlal was caught and convicted, and served two concurrent seven-year sentences for assault and robbery, neither for rape or sexual molestation, nor for the unnatural sexual offence"
This wasn't even funny. How could our ' Responsible Government' possibly state this as a mere robbery and an assault while charming Aruna on the other hand had lost her life forever! She definitely would not see a happy sunshine again. Most of us don't even know if Aruna even existed. It's sad how some crimes go unseen. Not only did the Government free her victim after a small punishment, they didn't approve of plea's to die in peace. Wasn't it sufficient that she had an unpeaceful life?. She wasn't allowed to die in peace.
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain or suffering. For example, taking a patient off the ventilator in case of an irreversible coma. This practice can be either active or passive.Following the Aruna Shanbaug case, the Supreme Court has legalised passive. A mercy killing petition was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2011, but the court allowed withholding treatment so that the patient would die.
Aruna Shanbaug continues to be in pain since the last 41 years. She cannot speak or communicate, but she is partially conscious. Ever since the Supreme Court order, she must have been agonised with more pain now that all the treatments have stopped.
Shouldn’t the Supreme Court, then, reconsider this ordeal the lady has faced for her lifetime? Wasn’t that heinous rape enough?
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