The rising of bioethics in Italian Codes of Medical Ethics: historical and contents analysis.

Abstract

In the last years it has become more and more obvious the tie between the medical deontology and the bioethics. The deontology has received the messages of the bioethics and has abandoned the function of punctual inventory of the laws and the relating rules the profession, while it has acquired dignity of support and guide to a good medical practice. But is this attention recent, or is it present in several codes of medical ethics published in Italy during the XX century too?

The analysis of the Italian Codes of medical ethics has put in evidence a specific interest for the issues of bioethics beginning from the Code of 1978. However, this is not only a question of the choice of the topics. The reflection of medical ethics has made own also the methodology of bioethics. Therefore, the Codes give indications on the physician’s act beginning from a very precise anthropological reference: the respect of the human person and her rights. Notwithstanding, the subjectivity of the rights is not recognized before the birth, therefore abortion and reproductive technologies are justified. Moreover, the professional dignity of the medical doctor is not always safeguarded; in fact, in name of the respect of the autonomy, it comes subordinated to the patient’s decisions. This represents a paradox of the Codes of medical ethics, which have the main purpose to prohibit the harmful behaviors for the good name of the medical category.