Manuel C

Is the legislation of European states in keeping with the recent convention on human rights and biomedicine

The Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, the first legally binding international instrument in the field of bioethics, was adopted in November 1996. In the present paper, following a brief overview of some of the Conventions provisions likely to conflict with national enactments already in effect, we shall attempt, on the basis of the materials available in the International Digest of Health Legislation, to analyse the positions adopted by the different states involved and to identify foreseeable conflicts, focusing on the following four issues: human genome; protection of the embryo; scientific research; and protection of live organ donors.