Bioethics and jurisprudence

Authors

  • Pedro Federico Hooft Presidente de la Asociación Argentina de Bioética

Abstract

This work analyzes, in the first part, the close and strong existing bonds between Bioethics and Law from the same dawn of birth of this new interdisciplinary liason, and the growing interweaving that takes place in the scientific community between Bioethics, Medicine and Law. This phenomenon is related both to the "medicalization of life", and to the "juridification of the society". In this context, health is ethically and legally understood as a fundamental value, recognized and protected by the law, and necessarily grants the same to the right to life. Assuming this premise, the author reviews the phenomenon of the progressive "juridification" of Bioethics, without disregarding to observe the ambivalence of that process, with its lights and shadows. He proposes to articulate Bioethics and Law resorting to philosophy of the human rights as the "bridge of communication" between both, and mentions the fruitful work of Argentine jurisprudence developed in this line.

Keywords:

Bioethics and law, blood transfussion, anencephalic, day after pill, organ transplantation.

Author Biography

Pedro Federico Hooft, Presidente de la Asociación Argentina de Bioética

Juez. Profesor Titular de Filosofía del Derecho y Miembro del Comité Académico de la carrera de Postgrado en Bioética en la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Presidente de la Asociación Argentina de Bioética.