Human Dignity in Dying and the Right to Die

Abstract

Human dignity in dying means that a patient who is still self-aware is a person and therefore he/she has a right to decide about his/her own life and death. The right to die has to be a basic human right, while our respect for the patient's dignity, that is to say for his/her autonomy and self-determination, could be a good basis for its recognition in philosophy, especially in bioethics. The article tries to legitimize the free choice of the way of dying, with an emphasis on voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide. It ends with the contradiction of judging them as a killing, considering that they require the patient's consent.