Abstract

Why is it necessary to have a public debate over bioethical issues? How should it be organized? Who should be involved? What could it offer us? What are its limitations? The author attempts to answer these questions, by highlighting the necessity of breaking down disciplinary barriers and the need to ensure the pluralism of perspectives in such debates and the consideration of cultural factors for accessible and efficient communication. For this purpose, he gives several examples of public debates that correspond to different objectives.

Key-words:

Bioethics, International aspects, Cultural pluralism, Consensus conferences, Public consensus conferences, Debates, Public opinion, Unesco, European convention on human rights and biomedicine, Universal declaration on the human genome and human rights, Universal declaration on bioethics and human rights.