CYIL 2015

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY Convergence or Divergence in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights? Abstract: Analysis of recent cases before the European Court of Human Rights with regard to reproductive rights shows the specific position of the Court with respect to the over-all conception of human dignity. After defining terms of reproductive rights and human dignity separately, the author describes the interconnection between these two concepts and, on the basis of three separate issues – surrogacy, status of embryos and medically-assisted procreation, concludes that the European Court of Human Rights is moving too far away from the over-all human dignity concept and promotes rather an individualistic approach to human dignity. Resumé: Analýza nedávné judikatury Evropského soudu pro lidská práva v oblasti reprodukčních práv ukazuje specifické postavení Soudu k tzv. celistvému konceptu lidské důstojnosti. Autor nejprve definuje samostatně pojmy reprodukčních práv a lidské důstojnosti a následně zobrazuje jejich vzájemný vztah na základě třech samostatných otázek – náhradního mateřství, statusu embryo a asistované repro dukce. Autor dochází k závěru, že Evropský soud pro lidská práv se svou judikatorou odchyluje od konceptu celistvé lidské důstojnosti a spíše prosazuje individualistický postoj k lidské důstojnosti. Key words: reproductive rights, human dignity, European Court of Human Rights, over-all conception of human rights, surrogacy, status of embryo, medically-assisted procreation On the author: JUDr. Pavel Bureš, Ph.D., is Senior lecturer at the Department of International law and European Law, Faculty of Law, Palacký University in Olomouc; Ph.D. at Charles University, Faculty of Law, 2007 – Master in Public International Law at Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 2004 – Master in Law at Palacký University, Faculty of Law. 1. Introduction Conception, birth and existence (living for a certain period of time) may be characterised as essential elements of what is nowadays called sustainable development. 2 1 The present article is the outcome of a project co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic, POST-UP II a reg. č. CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0041. 2 Although the term “sustainable development” is often more connected to the industrial sphere and natural science, we think it has a more general sense of understanding. Pavel Bureš 1

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