Medicine, law and human rights - a symbiotic relationship

Law and medicine are separate professions, and attorneys and physicians often see their professions in conflict. There are, however, more similarities than differences between the two professions. And there are areas of mutual concern and overlap that demand the application of both legal and medical knowledge for the good of the society. In the new categorical system of values, which is substantially influenced by the so-called modern or aggressive medicine, clever physicians, researchers, and technicians discover newer and better ways to do things. Often, what science and technology make possible soon becomes permissible and, eventually, normal and expected. Given the rapid advances in technology and medical technology in particular, it is clear that without the reasonable restraints imposed by philosophical but also, legal critique, medicine and its practitioners may unintentionally convert science and medical method into a muddled philosophy of human life'. Against this background, this paper will handle the questions posed by the extent and protection of human rights and freedoms in terms of application of new biomedical techniques and technologies of treatment toward the development of International human rights law. It also discusses the compatibility of domestic medical law with the normative system of international human rights.