Persons without capacity as participants in research: A Kingdom perspective on article 7(b) of UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005)

Abstract

In 2005, UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR) was accepted unanimously by the world community (191 member nations). The declaration is currently the first and only bioethical text to which the entire world has committed. However, this document, particularly Article 7(b), is not of religious origin and must therefore be evaluated from a Christian point of view. This article strives to ground the ethical and human rights issue of substitute consent with regard to research with persons without capacity from a Protestant perspective. The grounding is performed in the light of the theme of the Kingdom of God.