Remarks on secularism and diversity and their connections with bioethics

Abstract

This paper presents a discussion on secularism, making use of etymology, sociology and political science to establish the definition of the term and establish comparisons with other concepts commonly used as synonyms. According to the presuppositions of these fields of knowledge, secularism relates to individuals’ peaceful and harmonic coexistence within society with- out imposition of religious faith of any nature. This paper takes the standpoint that secularism is not an ideology or doctrine, and discusses the imposition of faiths or ideas, showing that such procedures harm, violate or even impede the construction of a truly secular state that represents all citizens. A parallel is established between situations that harm the precepts of secularism and certain circumstances that involve bioethical reflection and the practice of bioethics within healthcare, by arguing that in those cases too, the direct influence of the denial of diversity is observed. The paper concludes by taking the view that the principle that bioethics and secularism share is the respect for differences that allows individuals to live together within society, with respect for their origins, beliefs, sexual orientation, politics and other matters relating to freedom of conscience.