Andhra Pradesh: Parents seek mercy killing of daughter with cancer

ANANTAPUR:  Parents of a teenage girl on Monday pleaded that their 16-year-old daughter, who is suffering from blood cancer, be euthanised, as they can’t bear the treatment costs. They made the plea at the second additional district judge’s court in Madanapalle in Chittoor district.

Reddy Madhavi, a junior intermediate student at a college in Madanapalle, has been suffering from leukemia for a year and her parents, Mr Rayipeta Narayana and Ms Syamala of Vijayanagar Colony in Madanapalle, who were labourers, can no longer bear the expenses.

Madhavi has been given treatment at various hospitals in Bengaluru, Tirupati and Hyderabad and her parents have spent more than Rs 5 lakh so far. Meanwhile, doctors at a private hospital in Bengaluru told them that Rs 6 lakh would be needed for emergency treatment and they would also have to spend Rs 30 lakh for future treatment.

With Madhavi’s condition deteriorating and her parents being unable to spend on medical aide, they approached the second additional district judge’s court, with their daughter in tow, seeking mercy killing for their daughter.

“We can’t see our teenage daughter’s condition worsening day by day,” said Mr Narayana, who broke down stating that they had no alterative but to allow their daughter to die.

The judge, meanwhile, refused the petition saying that the local courts had no authority to take up such mercy killing pleas and suggested that the parents approach upper courts. The court also said that the couple could approach the government for assistance. The parents’ only hope now is that the government will come forward and help them.