The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, 2005, marked a significant step towards the recognition of universal standards in the field of science and medicine. This book provides an overview of the ethical and legal developments which have occurred in the field of bioethics and human rights since then. The work critically analyzes the Declaration from an ethical and legal perspective, commenting on its implementation, and discussing the role of non-binding norms in international bioethics. The authors examine whether the Declaration has contributed to the understanding of universal or global bioethics, and to what degree states have implemented the principles in their domestic legislation. The volume explores the currency of the Declaration vis-à-vis the more recent developments in technology and medicine and looks ahead to envisage the major bioethical challenges of the next twenty years. In this context, the book offers a comprehensive ethical and legal study of the Declaration with an in-depth analysis of the meaning of the provisions, in order to clarify the extension of human rights in the field of medicine and the obligations incumbent upon UNESCO member States, with reference to their implementation practice.
Is it possible to find common criteria on the ethical assessment and legal regulation of the very divisive area of biomedicine and life sciences? Looking at the intersection between human rights and global bioethics, the book successfully answers the question. A compass in the very rough fields of bioethics and biolaw.
Carlo Casonato, Professor of Law at the University of Trento; chief editor of the BioLaw Journal; member of the Italian Committee for Bioethics
The book edited by Caporale and Pavone is an excellent study on the origins, contents and meanings of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, and is essential reading to understand its strength and limitations in relation to new challenges of biomedical research as well as of global bioethics.
Gilberto Corbellini, Professor of History of Medicine and Bioethics at the University of Rome - La Sapienza.