https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2010.207

Dignity, personhood and culture: reflections on bioethics of today

Vol. 59 No. 4 (2010)
Published: August 30, 2010
Dignità umana, persona, uccisione, cura, Dichiarazione Universale dei Diritti dell’Uomo / Human dignity, personhood, killing, care, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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Authors

Marta Munzarova
mmunzar@med.muni.cz
Professor emeritus, Department of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.
Il rispetto per la dignità intrinseca di ogni essere umano è il fondamento di ogni etica medica, nonchè il fondamento di molte dichiarazioni. Quella fondamentale, la Dichiarazione Universale dei Diritti dell'Uomo (ONU 1948) - ricordando "gli atti di barbarie che oltraggiarono la coscienza dell'umanità", ha sancito che "il riconoscimento della dignità intrinseca ... di tutti i membri della famiglia umana è il fondamento della libertà, della giustizia e della pace nel mondo". Nell'attuale disputa della bioetica diversi autori negano questo fatto, negano la personalità di tutti, incoraggiano l'uccisione di coloro che non sono, secondo il loro punto di vista, persone, argomentano contro il rispetto della coscienza, mettono insieme dignità intrinseca ed estrinseca (attribuita), ritengono che la dignità sia un concetto inutile in etica medica, ecc., ecc. E poichè le idee hanno sempre conseguenze, i medici uccidono i loro pazienti (accettando i loro sentimenti di perdita della dignità) e scoprono una novità piuttosto sorprendente, una forma moderna di paradossale guarigione-uccisione: le cure palliative e l'eutanasia legalizzata non sono antagonisti, sono uniti in una "cura palliativa integrale". Dobbiamo vedere la realtà: alcuni aspetti del ragionamento odierno ricordano in maniera inquietante le motivazioni degli atti di barbarie precedenti alla guerra. Svariati segnali urgenti provenienti da uomini di cultura, che hanno avuto una personale esperienza tragica a causa di questi atti di barbarie, sono stati riportati.
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Respect to the inherent dignity of every human being is the cornerstone of all medical ethics as well as the cornerstone of many declarations. The fundamental one, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN 1948) - remembering the "barbarous acts, that have outraged the conscience of mankind" - proclaimed that "recognition of the inherent dignity … of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world". In the present arena of bioethics several authors deny this fact, deny the personhood of everybody, recommend killing of those who are, according their point of view, not persons, speak against the respect of conscience, conflate inherent and extrinsic (attributed) dignity, think that dignity is a useless concept in medical ethics, etc. etc. And as ideas have always consequences, physicians kill their patients (accepting their feelings of the loss of dignity) and find out quite strange innovation, a modern form of healing-killing paradox: palliative care and legalized euthanasia are not antagonistic; they are joined together in "integral palliative care". We must see the reality: certain aspects of present day reasoning are disturbingly reminiscent to the reasoning of those who prepared barbarous acts before the war. Several urgent warning coming from the men of wisdom, who had personal tragic experience due to these barbarous acts, are quoted.

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How to Cite

Munzarova, M. (2010). Dignity, personhood and culture: reflections on bioethics of today. Medicina E Morale, 59(4). https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2010.207

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