Bioethics and the public debate is certainly a nonsense for those who still believe that medical practice should only be a matter of individual relationship between a physician and his/her patient, such a relationship being regulated by the awareness that the medical practitioner has of his/her ethical duties.
However this traditional approach has largely been neglected by what we too simply call the biomedical revolution which is not only a technical revolution but also and merely a social one. Physicians and other health care providers cannot find any more the replies raised by the development of new biomedical techniques such as the new reproductive technologies, genetic engineering or cloning in their own professional ethics. They need common references which could rely on values and principles endorsed by society because it is society as a whole which is affected by the new biomedical applications: the identity and status of the individual, the nature and composition of the family, the definition of health and well being, the role of the health system and the State in providing medical services. Finally it is the complete institutional framework of society as well as its substantial rules which are at stake.
Therefore, for those who care about the functioning of Democracy the challenge is great. At least three main questions should be posed: can the traditional democratic institutions face the issue? Is there a need for new institutions? Are such mechanisms – both old and new – appropriate to support a public debate…