An individual’s right to refuse life-prolonging medical treatment or terminate life is a freedom which falls within the zone of right to privacy, the Supreme Court has said. Justice J Chelameswar, who wrote a separate but concurring judgment, also touched upon other aspects like consumption of food and a woman’s freedom of choice on whether to terminate pregnancy.
“Concerns of privacy arise when the State seeks to intrude into the body of subjects. Corporeal punishments were not unknown to India, their abolition is of a recent vintage. Forced feeding of certain persons by the State raises concerns of privacy.
“An individual’s right to refuse life-prolonging medical treatment or terminate his life is another freedom which falls within the zone of the right of privacy,” Justice Chelameswar said in his 44-page verdict. He, however, said he was “conscious of the fact” that this issue was pending before the apex court.
“A woman’s freedom of choice whether to bear a child or abort her pregnancy are areas which fall in the realm of privacy,” he said. “I do not think that anybody would like to be told by the State as to what they should eat or how they should dress or whom they should be associated with either in their personal, social or political life,” Justice Chelameswar said.