Human dying has changed.

Abstract

The act of dying has changed in response to social changes accompanying scientific and technologic progress. Increasingly, at least in the Western world, people are dying within strange medical establishments without the support of their loved ones and without an opportunity to take part in decisions relating to their own deaths. This article deals with the serious personal and social distress arising from this state of affairs and describes the emerging role of bioethics as a discipline seeking to develop options that are more humane.