BIH612: Bioethics and Law

The module Bioethics and Law is a common elective module. It presents the critical dimension of the relationship between Bioethics and Law, which is necessary for understanding the institutional handling of the difficult problems posed by the contemporary applications of technological developments in Medicine and the Biological Sciences. The need to provide practical solutions to the critical dilemmas posed by the development of medical and biological applications is gradually leading to the emergence of a new field of law, for which the term 'Biolaw' (Biolaw, Biodroit) appears to be establishing itself internationally. Biolaw is already being cultivated in specialised research units in Europe and the United States, while in some cases it appears in university programmes in legal and medical studies. The module familiarises students with the basic logic and methodology of contemporary Law, as expressed in the subject matter of Bioethics, on the basis of the above sources, as well as relevant legal theory. Basic legislative texts are presented (especially from European law), as well as significant decisions of supreme courts dealing with contemporary bioethical dilemmas. The module offers participants a broader perspective on the way in which the judge addresses physician/patient relations, abortion, end-of-life choices, aspects of assisted reproduction, the management of medical data, genetically modified organisms, and other issues. The main axis of inquiry is the most characteristic decisions of European jurisprudence (of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union), with comparative references to decisions of national supreme courts from European states and the United States.