Dignity and independence are widely considered as core concepts to aging well, yet little research has explored how older adults perceive these issues in the context of community life. Moreover, little is known regarding the ways in which the broader public views and enhances aging with dignity and independence with their older residents. Using participatory action research, multiple methods of...

In Australia today, trans and gender diverse people face daily indignities in a myriad of contexts, including when accessing sexual reproductive health care. This article illuminates some the barriers that experience seeking care illustrates how these obstacles violate human rights. It concludes with recommendations regarding reforms to better protect rights dignity Australia.

The development and proliferation of intensive care units (ICU) and the ability of technology to replace vital functions have added unmeasurable value to medical practice and have changed the way in which culture and science face disease and death. Following progress, new ethical dilemmas arrived: today it is not clear where to draw the line that separates good medical practice and the rational...

With passage of the Death with Dignity Act in 1994, Oregon became the first jurisdiction to authorize and regulate aid in dying. Data from that experience are comprehensive and bountiful, and answer a multitude of questions and concerns about whether the benefits of recognizing the medical practice of aid in dying justify the risks. An exhaustive description of findings from Oregon’s aid-in-dyi...

‘Human dignity is inviolable. To respect and protect is the duty of all state authority.’ Thus begins the first article of the German constitution, the ‘Grundgesetz’. Many of the political debates of the last decades, from abortion to euthanasia, have been concerned with the interpretation of the concept of human dignity (‘Die Würde des Menschen’ – in a more literal translation: The dignity of ...

BACKGROUND The last comprehensive investigation of women's experience of the colposcopy service in the UK was conducted in the 1980's. It highlighted women's anxiety and lack of information, resulting in recommendations for improvements. Since then the colposcopy service has changed substantially. It is therefore time to re-visit women's experience of this service and reflect upon the success o...

Résumé Abstract Au cours des dernières décennies, le droit de mourir a émergé comme l’une des questions sociales et politiques les plus controversées en Amérique du Nord et en Europe. Celui-ci implique la mobilisation de nombreux acteurs sociaux et militants ainsi que plusieurs défis juridiques. Au Québec, le législateur provincial a formé le « Comité spécial sur la question de mourir dans la d...

If our sense of happiness is closely connected to brain functions, it might become possible to manipulate our brain in a much more refined and effective way than current methods allow. In this paper I will make some remarks on the manipulation of the sense of happiness and illuminate the relationship between human dignity and happiness. The President’s Council on Bioethics discusses this topic ...