What is it about?
This article examines the ethical challenges of euthanasia in persons with advanced dementia. It argues that rather than focusing on euthanasia as a solution, a dignity-enhancing care approach is needed. Such an approach prioritizes compassionate support, respect for the person’s identity, and sustained attention to their relationships and vulnerabilities, offering an alternative vision for end-of-life care.
Featured Image
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Debates on euthanasia in dementia often center on autonomy and advance directives, but they risk overlooking the lived experience of patients once capacity is lost. This article shifts the focus toward dignity and care, proposing a framework that emphasizes respect, solidarity, and human presence. It challenges reductionist views and contributes to shaping policies and practices in a more humane and ethically grounded way.
Perspectives
For me, this article represents an effort to reframe the debate about euthanasia in dementia. I wanted to show that dignity can be protected and enhanced through concrete acts of care, even when autonomy is diminished. Writing it confirmed my conviction that ethical end-of-life care requires not only respecting choices but also accompanying persons with empathy and fidelity until the end of life.
Carlos Gomez-Virseda
Associatie KU Leuven
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Euthanasia in persons with advanced dementia: a dignity-enhancing care approach, Journal of Medical Ethics, May 2021, BMJ,
DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2021-107308.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
