Human dignity is an essential issue for all matters concerning bioethics. Every declaration, international convention or legal text and directive, related to interventions on human beings, includes the consideration of human dignity as an attribute to which any human being is entitled. Examples are the Helsinki Declaration, the Belmont Report, the Oviedo Convention and the EU Directive on Clinical Trials and specially the United Nations International Declaration on Human Rights. All these texts refer to the respect and promotion of human dignity in all kinds of medical procedures and treatments. However, there is an increasing trend, on the part of some bioethicists, to argue that the concept of human dignity should be re-examined because in can be considered as an empty box and a useless concept that does not go beyond the respect for autonomy.
It is my contention that human dignity is a fully valid concept that must be promoted. In the era of Biotechnology human dignity must be reinforced in view of the potential interventions that are feasible based on the advancement of the technologies. Scientific knowledge of the life of the human species can provide a sound basis for the foundations of bioethical principles and values. In this lecture I will consider the development of human life through the embryonic and fetal stages as a process in continuity. Human dignity belongs in the filed of values, scientific knowledge can provide an objective ground on which to base proposals for the promotion of human rights.
César Nombela
