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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY
Convergence or Divergence in the Jurisprudence
of the European Court of Human Rights?
Pavel Bureš
1
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.