Bulgarian Center for Bioethics

Welcome to the pages of the Bulgarian Center for Bioethics!

The Bulgarian Center for Bioethics organizes

National Bioethics Conference

Expanding Patient Rights Via Advance Directives: Towards Common European Procedures

June 13, 2008 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, National Palace of Culture (NDK), Auditorum #6

Founded in 2004 in Sofia, the Center is an independent, non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote the development and application of bioethics in Bulgaria. The Center is the only organization in Bulgaria dedicated exclusively to the questions of bioethics. Its areas of concern include biomedical ethics, research ethics, the ethics of biotechnology, animal welfare and agricultural ethics.

The Center advocates for and defends the rights of patients, the interests of participants in human subject research, the welfare of animals and the responsible treatment of the environment. The Center works to improve the quality of Bulgarian healthcare and to facilitate the harmonization of Bulgarian legislation with the highest international bioethical norms and standards.

The Center serves as a forum for public discussions on current bioethical issues. It fosters research and offers consultations and education in all areas of bioethics.

About Bioethics

Bioethics studies the ethical principles of the practice of medicine and medical research. The fundamental principles of bioethics are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. The oldest and most developed branch of bioethics is medical ethics having its roots in Antiquity. Its best known expression is the Hippocratic Oath. In response to the rapid advances in biotechnology and the increasing ability of science, medicine and technology to manipulate and alter living organisms and the environment, bioethics also takes up the moral dilemmas of genetic engineering, cloning and other forms of manipulation of and interference in living organisms.

While ethicists disagree on whether animals have legal rights, most nations in the West acknowledge the sentient nature of animals and their capacity to experience pain and suffering. They recognize that animals ought to be treated in a humane and respectful way. This is expressed in animal welfare laws and policies regulating our dealings with animals on the farm, in the lab and in the wild. Minimally, the ethical treatment of animals involves minimizing their pain and suffering and allowing animals to express their natural behaviors. Currently in Bulgaria there are no comprehensive animal welfare laws or regulations concerning the treatment of animals in research.

The World Health Organization defines Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO's as "organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species." Bulgaria produces GMO's. In March 2005, Bulgarian Parliament adopted a law regulating the release of GMO's in the environment and their use in food production.

This site offers information on Bulgarian bioethics policies and bioethics topics of general interest to Bulgarian citizens such as:

What are the rights of Bulgarian patients and the laws that codify them?
What is informed consent and why is it needed?
What do we need to know before we decide to participate in medical, pharmaceutical or scientific research?
What is the role of the hospital ethics committee in Bulgaria?
What is the code of ethics of Bulgarian physicians and how is it reflected in the law?
What ethical principles ought to govern the treatment of laboratory animals, farm animals and pets?
What ethical principles ought to govern the treatment of the environment and what are the European and international environmental standards?
What are genetically modified foods? Are they safe? Who monitors the food quality and safety of Bulgarians?

For more information or to participate in the Center's activities, please contact us via e-mail or telephone.