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. ^[1] In general, it is usually treated as an extension of the concept of dignified life, in which people retain their dignity and freedom until the end of their life. ^[2]

Although a dignified death can be natural and occur without any type of assistance, ^[2] the concept is frequently associated with the right to die, ^[3] as well as with the defense of the legalization of practices such as voluntary euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, terminal sedation or the refusal of medical assistance. ^[4] According to its defenders, the possibility of these types of practices would be what would guarantee a dignified death, keeping free decisions until the last moment and avoiding unnecessary agony. ^{[2] [5]}

See also

• Assisted dying (disambiguation)
• Death with dignity (disambiguation)
• Right to die
• Dignity in Dying, UK organisation

References