Inclusive and Relevant Language: The Use of the Terms Autonomy, Dignity and Vulnerability in Different Contexts’
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 103-113, 2010
12 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2011 Last revised: 7 Oct 2013
Date Written: October 10, 2011
Abstract
The article analyses the three terms autonomy, dignity and vulnerability. The relevance and practical application of the terms is tested in two spheres. First, as guiding principles in the area of ethics of medicines and science. Second, as human rights principles, serving to guide the conduct of public policies for an effective realization of human rights. The article argues that all human beings have the same dignity, but that the autonomy – and therefore vulnerability – differs considerably. Simply said, with reduced autonomy comes increased vulnerability, implying extra attention to the protective dimensions. The article finds that the three terms approach the protection of human beings in different ways and that all are relevant and applicable in both spheres, but that an isolated notion of autonomy and a ‘group-based’ notion of vulnerability are not adequate.
Keywords: health care ethics, human rights, bioethics, medical ethics, dignity, autonomy, vulnerability
JEL Classification: K53, I18
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation