Abstract

This paper is focused on the ethical dimension of palliative care for the terminally ill. I agree with other authors that the value of human dignity shall be acknowledged as the most important value in this setting. Recognition of the value of dignity as the central value requires responsible palliative care where the relational aspect between care-givers and care-receivers is of the greatest importance. In order to achieve this, dignity as a concept and the notion of dignity in subjective, objective and normative worlds has to be in harmony. In reality, often these separate worlds present various threats to the notion of dignity and to dignified end-of-life care. I think that if we want our palliative care to be of high quality and humane, we have to urge medicine together with medical ethics to search for solutions to these threats to the dignity of patients. I, therefore, propose Leuven personalism to be one of the possible fruitful methodologies for medical ethics and for the promotion of dignity in a palliative care setting.