Anticipated directives: the document of Italian Committee for Bioethics and the inspiration to the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

Abstract

The author reports consecutive formulations to which, within the Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI) of the Council of Europe, was submitted the text of article 9 of the Convention for the protection of human rights and dignity of the human being with regard to the application of biology and medicine (Oviedo, 1997). It deals with will that person can voice, as wishes, about medical treatments applicable in situations in which it could be impossible to express agreement or disagreement.

The document of the Italian Bioethics Committee, titled Anticipated directives of treatment, is in conformity with indications of Council of Europe.