There are several things we -- as a broad generalization over many societies -- get wrong about dying, and this article illustrates one of them in the medical,

There are several things we -- as a broad generalization over many societies -- get wrong about dying, and this article illustrates one of them in the medical, caregiver sense. While there are several contributing factors, like an activist reading of the Hippocratic Oath and fear for malpractice claims against the caregivers, this reckoning is consistent with the value system of many societies that assumes that one's informed choices must always tilt towards their continued life, and any feelings to the contrary are morally corrupt or simply misinformed, and therefore don't confer valid consent. It's impossible to separate analyses of one's own medical death without considering wishes of one's death in the general case. Modern societies tend to make discussing death taboo, not just because it's an uncomfortable topic to grapple with, but also because people who can control the terms of their own exit have an opportunity to do great harm in ways that can't be disincentivized by punishment. It's no accident that religions attempt to rectify this loophole by ensuring that mortal deeds will determine one's fate after death.