Title: The right to bodily and mental integrity in the era of biomedicine and neurotechnologies – an integrative bioethical analysis
Principal Investigator: dr Joanna Różyńska
Funding: National Science Centre, SONATA BIS 13
Project no: 2023/50/E/HS1/00486
Duration: 01.2025-01.2029
Apply now!
We are looking for doctoral students who are interested in the ethical and legal boundaries of the development of modern biomedicine and neurotechnology, and who meet the requirements and expectations described in the call. We offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary team, with professional support in developing research and publication skills, as well as an attractive tax-free stipend.
The deadline for submitting applications is 7 September (Monday) at 11.59pm.
For detalis go to: OPEN CALL FOR A PHD SCHOLARSHIP POSITION
Research team
- dr Joanna Różyńska (University of Warsaw) – Principal Investigator
- dr Anna Alichniewicz (Medical University in Łodzi) – Investigator
- dr Philip Højme (University of Warsaw) – Post-doc Investigator
- Barbara Krzyżewska (University of Warsaw) – PhD-Stipend Holder
About the project:
The project concerns the right to bodily and mental integrity in the era of dynamic development of biomedical sciences and neurotechnology. Its aim is to examine the content, moral justification, strength and scope of the right to bodily integrity and the right to mental integrity, and to determine whether it is possible to develop an integrated, conceptually coherent, ethically adequate and practically applicable concept of the right to psycho-physical integrity. The project includes conceptual and normative analyses, as well as analyses of the testimonies of the lived experience of people affected by various physical illnesses or mental disorders. It uses primarily methods of philosophical analysis, as well as, secondarily, methods of legal science. The project focuses on the moral right to integrity of the person, not on the legal right.
Abstract for the general public
Key words: right to integrity, bodily integrity, mental integrity, bioethics, neuroethics, human rights
Publications
- Højme, P. (2026), An introduction to ethics in robotics and AI (Five Years Later) [Book review]. Journal of Ethics and Emerging Technologies, 36(1): 1-4.
- Różyńska, J. (2025). How Best to Interpret the Minimal Risk Threshold in the EU Regulation on Clinical Trials?”. Diametros, June, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.33392/diam.2028.
Conference presentations
- Planned: Różyńska, J. (2026). The many faces of the right to bodily and mental integrity in bioethics and biolaw. 18th World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics and Health Law, September 28-30, Porto, Portugal.
- Planned: Højme, P. (2026).Rethinking mental integrity with Kant: dignity or autonomy? Human rights ethics technology disability. The European Consortium for Political Research General Conference 2026, September 8-11, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
- Planned: Højme, P. (2026). Neurotechnological interventions: mental integrity as health, well-being, or livability. 38th Conference of the European Society for Philosophy, Medicine and HealthCare: „The Dynamics of Medical Transformations: Society, Technology, Knowledge and Ethics”, August 25-28, 2026, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Planned: Krzyżewska, B. (2026). Implications of using Medical Software-as-aService (MSaaS) for a patient’s integrity. 38th Conference of the European Society for Philosophy, Medicine and HealthCare: „The Dynamics of Medical Transformations: Society, Technology, Knowledge and Ethics”, August 25-28, 2026, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Højme, P. (2026). Neurotechnologies and rights: An overview of the rights to bodily and mental integrity. The Danish Association for Gender Studies 2026 Conference „Cultures, Bodies and Technologies”, June, 2-3, Odense, Denmark.
- Różyńska, J. (2026). Prawo do integralności psychicznej w dobie współczesnej neurotechnologii, IV Ogólnopolskie Forum Prawa Medycznego i Etyki Lekarskiej im. dr. Pawła Wójcika „Rynek zdrowia i leków. Dostęp do nowoczesnego leczenia i diagnostyki”, 22-23 maja, Warszawa, Polska.
- Krzyżewska, B. (2026). Subskrypcja oprogramowania wyrobów medycznych a integralność fizyczna pacjenta. IV Ogólnopolskie Forum Prawa Medycznego i Etyki Lekarskiej im. dr. Pawła Wójcika „Rynek zdrowia i leków. Dostęp do nowoczesnego leczenia i diagnostyki”, 22-23 maja, Warszawa, Polska
- Alichniewicz, A. (2025). Reclaiming integrity – the experience of intersexuality in the perspective of binary sex/gender normativity. The XVth Conference of the Spanish Society for Phenomenology on Normality, normativity, Life-world, November 12-14, Palma De Mallorca, Spain.
Project seminars
- Speaker dr Philip Højme (Center for Bioethica & Biolaw, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw): Protecting the Mind: Neurorights and Neurotechnologies. May 27, 2026
- Speaker: dr Joanna Smolensky (Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX): Bodily Integrity, Bodily Self-Sovereignty, and Informed Consent. March 4, 2026.
Other activities to promote the project
- Plannned: XXVI Festival of Science 2026
- Lecture: Różyńska, J. (2026). Granice ingerencji w ludzki umysł. September 24, 5 p.m., Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw.
- The X Spring School of Bioethics ‘Godność i integralność człowieka w bioetyce i bioprawie / Human Dignity and Integrity in Bioethics and Biolaw‘, organised by the Bioethics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Centre for Bioethics & Biolaw at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw; 6-8 July 2026; Jablonna.
- Lecture: Różyńska, J. (2026). Integralność cielesna i psychiczna człowieka – wymiary i modele.
- Lecture: Krzyżewska, B. (2026). Prawo do integralności fizycznej w dobie współczesnej biomedycyny i biotechnologii.
- Lecture: Różyńska, J. (2026). Prawo do integralności genetycznej w dobie współczesnej reprogenetyki i inżynierii genetycznej.
- Lecture: Alichniewicz, A. (2026). Integralność, tożsamość i alienacja.
- Worhshop: Højme P., Nawara A., Wiaderek A. (2026). Ochrona integralności wobec zastosowań biomedycyny i neurotechnologii.
- The IX Spring School of Bioethics ‘Etyka badań z udziałem człowieka / Ethics of human research’ (2025), Jabłonna, July 1-3 2025.
- Lecture: Alichniewicz, A. (2025). Ciało ludzkie jako obiekt badań – historia nadużyć.