The human body as a biosocial phenomenon: public law aspects in the age of biotechnology

About the author:

Aleksandra E. Zorina, Postgraduate Student of Department of Theoretical and Public Law Disciplines, Institute of State and Law, Assistant of the Department of Theoretical and Public Law Disciplines, Institute of State and Law, Expert of the Project Office “Bioethics, Biolaw, Biopolitics” of the Laboratory “4Bio” of the Center for Innovative Design and Applied Research, Institute of State and Law, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia; a.e.zorina@utmn.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7402-563X

Abstract:

This article provides a comprehensive examination of the human body as a concept within contemporary public law and biotechnology. In the era of rapid biotechnological progress, the human body has gained unprecedented significance in legal discourse. This development poses new challenges for legal scholarship and practice, prompting questions about the body’s legal status, permissible limits of intervention, and the ethical and social implications of biotechnological modifications. The author considers the body as a complex biosocial phenomenon that cannot be reduced to mere biological terms. Instead, the human body is presented as a multifaceted biosocial entity characterized by both internal (biological) and external (social) attributes. These attributes collectively form an integrated notion of corporeality, which in turn substantially influences an individual’s legal status as a rights-bearing subject. The article emphasizes the close connection between the concept of the body and fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, dignity, and bodily integrity. Special attention is given to the role of the body as the foundation of legal personality and its significance in determining personal legal status. The author examines biological criteria of legal personality such as birth and death, while also analyzing how modern technologies affect our understanding of the boundaries of the human body. The necessity of adopting a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to studying and regulating the human body in the legal sphere is underscored, taking into account its multifaceted nature across cultural, social, economic, and legal contexts.

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