The UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights: a canon for the ages?
The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights of 2005 purports to articulate universal norms for bioethics. However, this document has met with mixed reviews. Some deny that the elaboration of universal bioethics norms is needed; some deny that UNESCO has the expertise or authority to articulate such norms; some regard the content of the UNESCO document as too vague or general to be useful; and some regard the document as a cog in the effort of like-minded cosmopolitans to codify their particular moral intuitions in international law. This issue examines the potential merits and pitfalls of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights.
Trotter
Griffin
G
Department of Health Care Ethics, Center for Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University, 221 North Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103-2006, USA. trotterc@slu.edu
D026688:Bioethical Issues; D001675:Bioethics; D032921:Consensus; D014943:Global Health; D006304:Health Status; D006806:Human Rights / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D014480:United Nations / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards*; D014944:World Health Organization / Q000458:organization & administration