BACKGROUND This paper has its origins in Jonathan Mann's insight that the experience of dignity may explain the reciprocal relationships between health and human rights. It follows his call for a taxonomy of dignity: "a coherent vocabulary and framework to characterize dignity." METHODS Grounded theory procedures were use to analyze literature pertaining to dignity and to conduct and analyze ...

How to cite this article: Körtner, U.H.J., 2011, ‘Human dignity and biomedical ethics from a Christian theological perspective’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 67(3), Art. #953, 8 pages. doi:10.4102/hts.v67i3.953 The argument of human dignity plays an important role in current debates on human rights and their relevance in modern biomedicine. When discussing the contribution of Chri...

This paper explores the relationship between dignity and robot companions for the elderly. It highlights concerns about the maintenance of the dignity of vulnerable elderly people, and points out some of the contradictory uses of the word ‘dignity’. Some authors have resolved the contradictions by identifying different senses; contrasting the inviolable dignity inherent in human life to other f...

Human rights, including the right to health, are grounded in protecting and promoting human dignity. Although commitment to human dignity is a widely shared value, the precise meaning and requirements behind the term are elusive. It is also unclear as to how a commitment to human dignity translates into specific human rights, such as the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and d...

Building on ethnographic fieldwork in Belgian welfare bureaucracies, this article explores the place of emotions administrative treatment cases—particularly those involving migrants, whose rights are increasingly limited. Welfare offices responsible for granting social assistance—in form medical treatment, material help, or financial benefits—in order to guarantee that residing Belgium live dig...

BACKGROUND The regulation of human cloning continues to be a significant national and international policy issue. Despite years of intense academic and public debate, there is little clarity as to the philosophical foundations for many of the emerging policy choices. The notion of "human dignity" is commonly used to justify cloning laws. The basis for this justification is that reproductive hum...

The human dignity of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important issue, because of patients' dependence upon caregivers, and because it impacts all aspects of their quality of life (QOL). Therefore, understanding and improving the status of dignity among these patients is of great importance. This study aimed to determine the status of dignity in patients with CVD admitted to car...