Staff Reporter :
A poor man in Meherpur has appealed to the district administration for voluntary ‘euthanasia’ for his two sons and a grandchild suffering from a rare disease named “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)”.
Tofazzal Hossain, a resident of Berpara area of the district town, submitted the petition to the deputy commissioner Parimal Singh on Thursday in this regard.
Such an unusual appeal has become talk of the town, as euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering.
In the petition, he urged the government to take the responsibility of treatment for his sons Abdus Sabur, 24, and Raihan, 18, and grandchild Saurav, 9, who have been suffering from DMD or give them permission for voluntary ‘euthanasia’, reports our Meherpur correspondent.
DMD is a genetic disease caused by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It has no treatment or medicine.
Admitting the matter, acting deputy commissioner of Meherpur Khairul Hasan told The New Nation yesterday that the man has appealed to the district administration to permit euthanasia as three of his family members unable to bear their pains.
“I have already visited the house of the man to look into the matter. The district administration conveyed deep sorrow and sympathy to the family and assured them of best possible help,” he added.
When asked, the deputy commissioner said, the law of the land does not permit voluntary euthanasia to any citizen of the country although it is legal in some countries.
The DMD is caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. Symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages 3 and 5. The disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls, according to physicians.
Muscle weakness can begin as early as age 3, first affecting the muscles of the hips, pelvic area, thighs and shoulders, and later the skeletal (voluntary) muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. The calves often are enlarged. By the early teens, the heart and respiratory muscles also are affected.
Sabur was affected by DMD while reading in Class-IV and Raihan and Saurav got the disease at the age of 8.
Tofazzal’s wife Shirina Begum is also mentally impaired.
Tofazzal had a betel and seasonal fruit shop. He had already sold all his properties to bear the treatment of his sons and the grandchild. As there is no improvement of their health condition, Tofazzal is now unable to bear their treatment cost further.
“Such a situation forced him to approach the district administration for voluntary ‘euthanasia’ for his two sons and a grandchild,” Tofazzal Hossain told The New Nation yesterday.
A poor man in Meherpur has appealed to the district administration for voluntary ‘euthanasia’ for his two sons and a grandchild suffering from a rare disease named “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)”.
Tofazzal Hossain, a resident of Berpara area of the district town, submitted the petition to the deputy commissioner Parimal Singh on Thursday in this regard.
Such an unusual appeal has become talk of the town, as euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering.
In the petition, he urged the government to take the responsibility of treatment for his sons Abdus Sabur, 24, and Raihan, 18, and grandchild Saurav, 9, who have been suffering from DMD or give them permission for voluntary ‘euthanasia’, reports our Meherpur correspondent.
DMD is a genetic disease caused by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It has no treatment or medicine.
Admitting the matter, acting deputy commissioner of Meherpur Khairul Hasan told The New Nation yesterday that the man has appealed to the district administration to permit euthanasia as three of his family members unable to bear their pains.
“I have already visited the house of the man to look into the matter. The district administration conveyed deep sorrow and sympathy to the family and assured them of best possible help,” he added.
When asked, the deputy commissioner said, the law of the land does not permit voluntary euthanasia to any citizen of the country although it is legal in some countries.
The DMD is caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. Symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages 3 and 5. The disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls, according to physicians.
Muscle weakness can begin as early as age 3, first affecting the muscles of the hips, pelvic area, thighs and shoulders, and later the skeletal (voluntary) muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. The calves often are enlarged. By the early teens, the heart and respiratory muscles also are affected.
Sabur was affected by DMD while reading in Class-IV and Raihan and Saurav got the disease at the age of 8.
Tofazzal’s wife Shirina Begum is also mentally impaired.
Tofazzal had a betel and seasonal fruit shop. He had already sold all his properties to bear the treatment of his sons and the grandchild. As there is no improvement of their health condition, Tofazzal is now unable to bear their treatment cost further.
“Such a situation forced him to approach the district administration for voluntary ‘euthanasia’ for his two sons and a grandchild,” Tofazzal Hossain told The New Nation yesterday.
