[Why bioethics today?].

Abstract

Only recently medicine has emphasized the importance of major ethical principles (autonomy, beneficence, justice and non-malificence) and only recently they have come to play an important role in medical and public policy discussions. Until the 70's, medical dilemmas and disagreements were rarely discussed in terms of rights and duties. However, at this point in history, crucial new ideas were introduced, including the notion of Medical Bioethics. What seems important at this stage is to show if Bioethics has made a significant difference in the field of medicine. This article intends to give a picture of how ethical, historical and medical factors have influenced the beginning of Bioethics, in an attempt to determine how much it has been able to fulfill a genuine need.