With this study we intend to defend the thesis that a vegetative patient, even when irreversibly unconscious and incapable of performing any typical human actions, is a person and maintains the dignity of any person and has the right to proper treatment for his condition. We express our perplexity on the anthropological line of thought that says that a vegetative status is equal to death and therefore any medical effort for that patient must be stopped. Any ethical choice for a vegetative patient must therefore respect, defend and promote his personal dignity, in spite of the fact that this might be dimmed by a highly invalidating clinical condition. Above all, any conduct which would intentionally and directly cause a patient's death must be considered morally dishonorable.
