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The Role of Physicians in Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2021

Elena O. Nightingale
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Extract

For centuries philosophers and writers have reflected on the idea that all human beings, by virtue of being human, are entitled to certain fundamental rights and freedoms. Among these are political and civil rights, as well as economic, social, and cultural rights. Historically, however, how an individual was treated within the boundaries of his own country was not considered the business of any other country. After 1945, as a result of the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against humanity, human rights questions were accepted as international concerns. The nations of the world then agreed that the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms were to be one of the principal purposes of the newly-formed United Nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention were adopted in 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out common standards that all peoples and all nations should strive for.

Type
Article
Information
Law, Medicine and Healthcare , Volume 18 , Issue 1-2 , Summer 1990 , pp. 132 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics

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