This book provides answers to the questions that biomedical and biotechnological research has posed to our societies by proposing the introduction of biorights. It shows how bioscience affects our individual and social lives by discussing and answering important questions such as; Are we becoming more vulnerable and unable to protect ourselves? How can we ensure fairness and justice with regards to the access to health care? Are human dignity, autonomy and equality at risk? Do we need new and special rights: neurorights, genetic rights? What is the meaning and scope of the right to life, health, privacy or non-discrimination? Biorights are the suggested solution for dealing with these challenges. Healthcare professionals, bio-researchers, policy makers, scholars, and citizens will, in this book, find a guide to knowing how bioscience affects our lives. Furthermore, this book provides a comprehensive method for biomedical and biotechnological decision-making that comprises human or basic rights dimensions alongside technical and ethical dimensions.
Chapters 1, 12 and 18 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
José-Antonio Seoane is Full Professor of Philosophy of Law and Coordinator of the Research Group Philosophy Constitution, and Rationality at the Universidade da Coruña, Spain, where teaches in the Faculties of Law, Health Sciences, Computing Science, and Humanities.
He is a member of the Spanish Bioethics Committee and Chair of the Bioethics Expert Group of the Spanish National Transplantation Organization.
His recent publications on bioethical issues include P. Serna, J-A. Seoane (ed). Bioethical decision making and argumentation, Springer, 2016; El marco normativo de la investigación en personas con demencia (N Álvarez-Lata, coauthor). Revista de Derecho Privado y Constitución 36, 2020: 131-177 Bioética, Biopolítica, Bioderecho. In Pedagogía de la Bioética (N Terribas, E Busquets, eds.). Lectio, 2021, 183-192; Lex artis, Anuario de Filosofía del Derecho 38, 2022, 275-300; Uterus transplantation as a surgical innovation (A Pérez-Blanco et al, coauthorship). Bioethical Inquiry, online: 29 June 2023; Deliberación bioética y Derecho. Argumenta Philosophica 2/2023: 39-58; Aspectos ético-legales del asesoramiento genético. In Consultas de alto riesgo de tumores digestivos (S Carballal Ramil, J Cubiella Fernández, dir.). Panamericana, 2024, 17-29; Legislative debates on death with dignity and euthanasia. An approach to the Spanish situation. In Debating Laws. Studies on parliamentary justification of legislation (AD Oliver-Lalana, ed.). Springer, 2024, 85-113.
Oscar Vergara is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law at the Universidade da Coruña, Spain, and a member of the Philosophy, Constitution and Rationality Research Group at the same University. Previously has been professor at the Universidad de Piura, Peru.
He is the author and editor of several national and international publications in his field of specialization. In the area of bioethics, it is noteworthy the book Método y razón práctica en la ética biomédica [Method and Practical Reason in Biomedical Ethics], Granada, Comares, 2018. Other significant papers in this field are: To be alive when dying: moral catharsis and hope in patients with limited life prognosis, Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 24, 2021: 517-527; The Dramatic Essence of the Narrative Approach, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 39, 2018: 361-374; Autonomy, Monomania and Free Development of Personality in the Clinical Relationship. To what extent can the autonomous person be protected?, Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics 13, 2022: 27-51; Pacto de silencio y derecho a la información en pacientes gravemente enfermos. Escribiendo el último capítulo de la vida [Conspiracy of Silence and Right to Information in Critically Ill Patients. Writing the last chapter of life], Revista de Bioética y Derecho 52, 2021: 45-60; Ética biomédica y prudencia [Biomedical Ethics and Prudence], Cuadernos de Bioética XXVI-87, 2015: 267-277.
He is currently a member of the Ethics Committee of the Spanish Association of Coloproctology and a member of the Advisory Committee of the journal Cuadernos de bioética. He also teaches in different university degrees on subjects related to bioethics.
