Bioethical Viewpoint Of Death With Dignity

With the accelerated pace of modern society, fast development of science,medicine and technology, people’s living environment constantly changes. As cancer,AIDS and other diseases threaten people’s lives at any time, it is a gradual shift fromthinking of life to life and death. In these days, people are increasingly aware of thesignificance of death with dignity. Dignity of death means a clear recognition ofone’s own life and a positive comment on it. In one’s lifetime, prepare for death, andwhen death is inevitable, face and accept it calmly and ultimately die the way hewants. Dignity of death is an important part of human dignity. This paper attempts toexplore the basic theories of death with dignity based on the development ofbioethics.The article is divided into four parts: the first part presents the backgroundinformation of this topic and the research achievements at home and abroad. What’smore, the significance of one’s pursuit of death dignity is stated. The second partstarts from human dignity and makes an analysis of the basic theories concerningdeath with from the following aspects--respect for life, dignity of death and theirrelationship. The third part is mainly about the causes for people’s pursuit of deathwith dignity. To be specific, as part of human dignity, death with dignity means arelief without any contempts. The fourth part explores the path of death with dignityfrom three aspects--euthanasia, hospice care, and education of death with dignity.