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SIXCAUSESOFTHEDISPUTEOVERLEGALBIOETHICS
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bio-jurisprudenceandbioethicallegalphilosophy.4Thelegalpowerofmanyof
thesetermsmayarouseobjectionsandbioethicallawdoessoinparticular.It
isnotknownexactlywhatthistermisactuallyintendedtomean,particularly
whenwebecomeawarethatitmayonlybeappliedto"activebioethics”after
acertainamountofinterpretation.Inthefaceofthiswemaynotestablishthe
limitsofbioethicallawpre-emptively,asitwere.Thiswouldcreateastubborn
definitionwhichwouldusuallyignorethefactthatthesedefinitionsareimpaired
(byskippingorlimping).
Ifwedonotultimatelyknowwhatbioethicsisand,asaconsequence,what
constituteslegalbioethics,ifwedonotknowhowtoaccommodatescientific
truthswithethicalarguments,howtobuildaneffective(adequate)theoryofbio-
ethics,howtoleadbioethicaldiscourse(inanaxiologicallyopenorclosedspace?)
and,finally,howtodealwiththeparadoxesofbioethics,weareevenlesslikely
tobeabletounambiguouslydelineatethelimitsofitslegalregulation.
Discussiononthetopicofthelimitsofthelegalregulationofbioethicalprob-
lemsshould,alongsidethosealreadymentioned,takeintoaccountanumberof
otherissues.Thecrucialsignificanceofthe"limitsofregulation”mayhaveapar-
ticularproblemwithdefiningtherelationsthatmayexistbetweengeneralbio-
ethicalreflectionsandlegalbioethicalones.InthistextIhavetriedtoshowthat
thereisnoneedtodifferentiatebetweengeneralbioethicsandspecificbioethics
(includingthelegalunderstanding).
Wethereforehaveforconsiderationthesameproblemofbioethics,itsuni-
versalessence,regardlessofwhetheritisaphilosopher,aspecialistinethics,
alawyer,abiologistoradoctorwhotacklesit.Itisthesamebioethics,regard-
lessofthefactthatitpossessesmanydetailedmanifestations.Suchaprem-
iseobviouslyhasaneffectonthequestionofthelimitsofthelegalregulation
ofbioethics.Inthiscase,theproblemwillberegardedfromtheperspectiveof
ageneralbioethicaldiscoursewhichrequirescertainrulesandstandardstobe
maintained.Theproblemwillbetreateddifferentlybyadherentsofautonomous
legalbioethics.Asaresultthismatterwillbeapproachedindifferentwaysin
termsoftheregulationofboththecasesofappliedbioethicsandtheireventual
applicationtothesphereoflegalregulationofotherbioethicalcases,especially
thosewhichareconnectedto"sensitive”matterssuchasfreewill,therightto
freedom,intimacyetc.
Thelimitsofwhichwerefertodependalsoontheacceptedcriteriaforevalu-
atingbioethicalandlegaldiscourse.Thelimitswillbeshapeddifferentlyifwe
appealtojusticeastheonlycriterium.Itwillbedifferentifweusethesolecri-
teriaofefficacy.Finally,itwillbedifferentifwetrytousebothcriteriaatthe
sametime.
Inordertofindarational(inaccordancewiththerequirementsofreasonand
thestateofourknowledge),ethicallyacceptableandsimultaneouslyeffective
(thatis,applicable)legalsolutiontotheissueofbioethicswemustlearnto"un-
4
SeeR.A.Tokarczyk,Biojurysprudencja.PodstawyprawadlaXXIwieku(Biojurisprudence.
FoundationsofLawfortheTwenty-FirstCentury),WydawnictwoUniwersytetuMariiCurie-
-Skłodowskiej,Lublin2008,p.79.
