Becoming dead: Two solitudes?

The moral divide between proponents and opponents of medical assistance in dying is wide and can be ascribed to a number of dichotomous beliefs. This article addresses a particular and less commonly described platform for the divide: human acquiescence to physical decline and death as an important stage of life, versus presumptive human mastery over the timing and manner of some peoples' death. Practical ideas are then offered for health systems that wish to bridge the divide, to provide both robust palliative end-of-life care and medical assistance in dying programs for their patients, while keeping health workers whole.