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Human-related Patents and the Issue of Human Dignity

  • Journal of the Korea Bioethics Association
  • 2009, 10(2), pp.1-11
  • Publisher : The Korean Bioethics Association
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research

Jae Sub YANG 1

1대구대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

The Chakrabarty case which allowed patenting of a living organism for the first time has created many issues specifically with regards to privatization and commercialization of life and distorting the boundaries between living and non-living things. Since then, polyploid of oyster and onco-mouse have been patented. Furthermore, with the progress of the Human Genome Project, there is more discussion on patenting human genes and human-possessing viruses. In the process, whether the human-related patents destroy human dignity have become an important issue. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and UNESCO Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights(1997) strongly stress the importance of human dignity and recommend not to exploit it for commercialization. Finally, the human-related patents tend to promote commercialization rather than preserving life dignity, therefore, to damage human dignity. Human dignity should always be preserved.

Citation status

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