Rechte oder Pflichten gegenüber dem menschlichen Körper? Normative Fragen im Umgang mit Biobanken

This contribution concerns the protection of donors whose tissue is stored in biobanks. The means by which bioethics tries to conceptualize this protection are the rights of donors, conceived either as autonomy (informed consent) or as property rights (self-ownership). From a pragmatic point of view, these rights may have partly counterproductive effects. Furthermore, some of the normative questions at stake require a different conceptualization. We have a duty to maintain the wellbeing of our bodies which moves us to donate and puts certain requirements on the adequate treatment of the material. This contribution shows that the discourse of »rights« has to be accompanied by a discourse of »duties«. Only on the basis of the idea of »duties« can we deem ourselves legitimized to do with our body parts as we see fit.