Humand Rights and Biomedicine; Basic Documents

Biological and medical research have produced spectacular advances in the health field, but they also raise questions concerning a number of fundamental values, such as the individual, the family, health, private life, human rights and human dignity. The Council of Europe's aim in this field is to protect the individual's dignity and fundamental rights with regard to the application of ordinary medicine and new medical techniques (genetics, medically assisted procreation etc.). It wants to strike a balance between freedom of research and protection of persons, while fostering reflection and public discussion, ensuring respect for fundamental values, and arbitrating between different viewpoints and interests by drawing up principles and legal standards which reflect these values. In this book a collection of the basic documents relating to the raised issues is being presented.