[Basic problems of medical ethics]

The discussion on ethical problems in reproductive medicine that has been going on for quite a decade, is of an exemplary nature; it is mainly focussed on extracorporeal fertilisation, prenatal diagnosis with a view to abortion, and post partum diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases. The fundamental problems of medical ethics in general come to the fore particularly clearly in this discussion. The following article deals with these fundamental problems, whereas a subsequent article will be concerned in greater detail with the three special disciplines I have just mentioned.