Humaida, a 46-year-old resident of the Paser Regency in East Kalimantan, has been in a coma for the past five years. Her case may put the topic of euthanasia in Indonesia in the spotlight once again as her family is considering making a plea to the Supreme Court so they can legally end her life.
Humaida slipped into a coma in 2011, just two hours after she gave birth to her fifth child. While being operated on, Humaida went into a seizure leading to a coma and hasn’t woken up since, despite receiving care from several specialists in East Kalimantan.
These days Humaida is linked up to life support at the local public hospital in her hometown. Her family admits that they are struggling financially to keep her in hospital.
“We have to spend Rp 1 million each month for the care of our mother,” said Januar, Humaida’s eldest son, as quoted by Kompas yesterday.
Ahmad Muntolib, Humaida’s husband, has spent most of the family’s money to pay for his wife’s life support. He’s recently had to file for a SKTM welfare card to be able to pay for his family’s daily needs.
The family has also recently sought the counsel of the Legal Aid Foundation in Balikpapan to see if there’s a possibility for euthanasia for Humaida. Her family this month plans to make a plea to the Supreme Court for legal permission to end Humaida’s life.
“If the state can’t give any guarantee that they’d give medical treatment to Humaida, then the family will consider making a plea for euthanasia,” said Ebin Marwi, an attorney at the Balikpapan Legal Aid Foundation.
In Indonesia, euthanasia is argued to be a violation of Article 344 of the Criminal Code, which states that the act of killing someone, even at the request of that person, is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. In 2004, the Central Jakarta District Court denied a man’s request to have his wife, Agian Isna Nauli, legally euthanized. Agian slipped into a coma after the C-section birth of their second child. The government ended up covering her medical bills, which amounted to Rp 1 billion, until she woke up in 2005. Sadly, she suffered brain damage, which led to limb paralysis and blindness.
