Dignified death, death with dignity, dying with dignity or dignity in dying is an ethical concept that refers to the end-of-life process avoiding
suffering and maintaining
control and
autonomy. In general, it is usually treated as an extension of the concept of dignified life, in which people retain their
dignity
Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...
and
freedom until the end of their existence.
Although a dignified death can be
natural
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
and without any type of
assistance
Assistance is an act of helping behavior.
Assistance may also refer to:
Types of help
* Aid, in international relations, a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another
* Assistance dog, a dog trained to aid or assist a person ...
,
the concept is frequently associated with the
right to die
The right to die is a concept based on the opinion that human beings are entitled to end their life or undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood that a person with a terminal illness, incurable pain, or without ...
, as well as with the defense of the legalization of practices such as
voluntary euthanasia
Voluntary euthanasia (VE) is the ending of a person's life at their request in order to relieve them of suffering. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of intense debate in recent years.
Some forms o ...
,
physician-assisted suicide,
terminal sedation or the
refusal of medical assistance. According to its defenders, the possibility of this type of practices would be what would guarantee a dignified death, keeping free decisions until the last moment and avoiding an unnecessary agony.
See also
*
*
Right to die
The right to die is a concept based on the opinion that human beings are entitled to end their life or undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood that a person with a terminal illness, incurable pain, or without ...
*
Assisted dying (disambiguation) Assisted dying, assisted death, aid in dying or help to die may refer to:
* Assisted suicide, help or assistance to another person to end his or her life
* Euthanasia, the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering
* Pall ...
References
{{Authority control
Death
Bioethics