Abstract
Intensive discussions about the dignity of human life have been started after the end of World War II and reflected in the Human Rights Declaration (UN, 1948) and in number of successive documents. What does human dignity in the last period of life consist in? These discussions have advanced in connection with the progress in science, technology entering medicine and physicians´ successes in extending human life.
Progress in medicine is welcomed but in terms of ethics it brings up many issues to be discussed; science and ethics cannot be separated. The conception of the human life dignity in illness and dying belongs to the important discussed issues.