Ethical and legal aspects of commercialization of individual human body parts

Abstract

This paper presents reflections on the commodification of the human body, its parts and products. It centrallytakes the particular case of human cells, which in itself presents no major differences with other organisms, suchas genes, proteins, gene sequences, biological medications, etc, for which reason the conclusions which can bereached, may be generalizable in some degree. In the final considerations the enormous changes in the idea ofcommercialization of the human body are reminded, which evoked slavery and passed very quickly to a situationlinked to medical progress. The conclusion with the warning that the debate can not be confined to industrialproperty rights to the extent that compromises interests in the first level such as health and human dignity.