Equality, equity, and justice in health in the light of bioethics

Abstract

The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights enabled the reflection on themes that go beyond purely biomedical concerns and address social, health and environmental topics such as social exclusion, vulnerability, poverty, and discrimination. This article aims to reflect on the concepts of equality, justice, and equity, as defined by the Declaration, and their applicability in solving health problems in Brazil. From a bibliographic review, both classic (Plato and Aristotle) and contemporary (Amartya Sen, John Rawls, Paulo Fortes and Fermin Schramm) authors were addressed. The study proposes equity as a principle for critically understanding health policies and services, helping citizens to act with social responsibility.