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In the Ottawa Citizen on June 30, Dr. Rene Leiva wrote, “the sense of dignity comes first and foremost from the patient’s loved ones”.

For Dr. Leiva, who works in palliative care and care for the elderly, the ongoing debate on death “with dignity” too often misses the essential point by leading people to believe that dignity at end-of-life sometimes requires euthanasia.

The real answer lies elsewhere, he wrote. “The experience of many, including mine, is that the presence of a loved one to the sick and fragile and the voicing to the patient that they are being truly and honestly loved is what gives true dignity.”

Dr. Leiva adds that he can easily control bodily pain, but he has a lot less control over psychological suffering. This depends greatly on the support of family and friends.