Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Fifty-fifth Anniversary

Overview

On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights. The very importance of this document is pointed out and itsarticles, which might be connected with medical ethics, are quoted and commented upon.Attention is devoted to the fact that the declaration is under attack today: the inherent dignityand worth of every human being is denied, implicitly or even explicitly. The text describes alsothe confusion dealing with the interpretation of the content of some rights in an unnatural andeven monstrous manner („the right to die“, „the rights not to be born“).

Key words:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - dignity of every human being - the rightto life - „the right to die“?