Press Release – The Important Contribution of 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢 to Current Debates

The Anscombe Bioethics Centre welcomes a new document from the Vatican about the nature of human dignity, which makes an important contribution to current debates by clarifying what we mean by human dignity.

The Declaration on Human Dignity (or Dignitas infinita, i.e. infinite dignity) distinguishes the different ways that we speak of dignity, and highlights the one that is most important: the dignity that we possess simply by virtue of being a person, a member of the human family, which cannot be lost, but is held by everyone inalienably from conception until natural death. 

Our dignity, as defined in this way, means that each and every person is worthy of unconditional respect.

The Declaration urges that ‘respect for the dignity of the human person beyond all circumstances be placed at the centre of the commitment to the common good and at the centre of every legal system.’

To explain further how and why the Declaration makes this plea for human dignity, please read an essay by our Public Bioethics Fellow on ‘Dignitas Infinita’s Vital Contribution to Current Debates’. 

The essay offers a useful explainer of the Declaration’s key points and highlights those points in the document that are of particular importance for current bioethical debates. The essay mentions the important contribution that the Declaration can make to the current debates in Holyrood and perhaps soon in Westminster as well, about whether we ought to legalise assisted suicide.

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Notes to Editors:

• Any part of the above can be quoted as coming from our Public Bioethics Fellow, Dr Mehmet Çiftçi.
• For more information see Dr Çiftçi’s article, ‘Dignitas Infinita’s Vital Contribution to Current Debates’.
• For more information on the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, see our website: www.bioethics.org.uk
• For interviews or comment, contact: media@bioethics.org.uk