Principles of international biolaw

Rapid advances in genetics and medicine present both opportunities and threats
to the advancement of human rights and public health in this era of
globalization. While such advances contribute significantly to progress
against disease, they may also pose profound global public policy concerns in
that the ethical and policy considerations that follow from scientific
advances lag far behind. In this context, the aim of this book is to present
the current global efforts to develop common principles relating to
biomedicine. Section I sets forth the pivotal role that the principle of human
dignity plays in this domain, and identifies a number of other principles that
can be drawn from the recent international policy documents on bioethics.
Section II provides detailed commentaries on recent international instruments
relating to biomedicine adopted by UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Section
III elaborates upon specific biomedical human rights issues that are the
subject of contemporary international standard-setting efforts, including
biomedical research, population biobanks, genetic testing, and advance
directives. Essays in each of these sections examine the extent to which
promoting and protecting human rights has created a common framework for
contemporary international lawmaking in the field of biomedicine and the
strengths and limitations of international law as a tool for advancing
biomedical human rights.