[Human dying has changed]

In the modern era, the act of dying, at least in the West, presents a series of new characteristics resulting from scientific and technological progress and social changes. More and more frequently, humans die in the strange surroundings of medical establishments without the support of their loved ones and without the opportunity of taking part in decisions related to their own deaths. In the light of the serious personal and social problems caused by this transformation of human death, bioethics emerges as an attempt to uncover options that are more humane.