Post-secular bioethics: a proposal for Latin America

Abstract

Bioethics initially emerged from theological thinking, as part of the consistent development of the defense of the beliefs of the movement when faced with the challenges of the social progressivism of techno-scientific expansion
and the cultural secularization of the West. As a result of this process, liberal social norms and legislation have emerged in many Western nations, including those that are predominantly Catholic (France, Italy, Spain). Three
cultural processes, however, limit the hegemony of the prevailing secularity: a) A diminished religious spirit is enjoying a renaissance outside of institutions and rituals; b) Secularity necessarily implies heterogeneous pluralisms that are difficult to harmonize; c) The need for coexistence between secularity and religiosity has given rise to post-secular ethics. The strong influence of the Catholic Church in Latin America has opposed social aspirations of greater autonomy and a secularized form of bioethics. This paper proposes to explore a post-secular bioethics that seeks an instrument of tolerance and coexistence, far from immovable dogmatism.