RESUMEN
Principlist Bioethics by Beauchamp and Childress has reached a prominent status in contemporary Bioethics. Nevertheless, it includes some important theoretical problems: some lacks when defining some concepts, a tendency to ethical relativism, etc. Among the ethical alternative approaches from which such problems can be solved, we think that the most appropiate is the Natural Law theory. It offers a reasoned reflection on the concept of good and on human basic goods and their relation with moral general principles. From such goods, this ethical theory supports the existence of actions that are always maleficent acts, that is, intrinsically and universally evil acts. The article applies the Natural Law theory to issues related to the protection of human life (abortion, euthanasia, self-defense and genetic manipulation)..
Asunto(s)
Bioética , Teoría Ética , Valor de la Vida , Aborto Inducido/ética , Principio del Doble Efecto , Ética , Eutanasia/ética , Femenino , Ingeniería Genética/ética , Homicidio/ética , Humanos , Masculino , Inutilidad Médica/ética , Principios Morales , Embarazo , Calidad de Vida , Suicidio/ética , Suicidio Asistido/éticaRESUMEN
La bioética principialista de Beauchamp y Childress se ha hecho con un lugar preeminente en la Bioética actual. No obstante, presenta algunas carencias teóricas importantes: falta de elaboración de algunos conceptos, tendencia al relativismo moral, etc. Entre los múltiples posicionamientos éticos alternativos actuales desde los cuales cubrir tales carencias, pensamos que el más adecuado es la teoría de la ley natural. Esta ofrece una reflexión argumentada sobre el bien y los bienes humanos y sobre su relación con los principios morales generales. Desde tales bienes, dicha teoría sostiene la existencia de acciones que son siempre maleficentes, esto es, acciones intrínsecamente y universalmente malas. El artículo aplica la teoría de la ley natural a temas relacionados con la protección de la vida humana (aborto, eutanasia, legítima defensa y manipulación genética)
Principlist Bioethics by Beauchamp and Childress has reached a prominent status in contemporary Bioethics. Nevertheless, it includes some important theoretical problems: some lacks when defining some concepts, a tendency to ethical relativism, etc. Among the ethical alternative approaches from which such problems can be solved, we think that the most appropiate is the Natural Law theory. It offers a reasoned reflection on the concept of good and on human basic goods and their relation with moral general principles. From such goods, this ethical theory supports the existence of actions that are always maleficent acts, that is, intrinsically and universally evil acts. The article applies the Natural Law theory to issues related to the protection of human life (abortion, euthanasia, self-defense and genetic manipulation)