Human Dignity in Sweden

Abstract

This chapter examines the concept of human dignity in Swedish law. The focus lies mainly on human dignity in Swedish constitutional law and various legal acts which acknowledge the dignity of human beings. The chapter further explores the constitutional recognition and possible legal meanings of human dignity. Despite the formal recognition of the concept of human dignity in Swedish Constitution, there is no clarity about the definition of the notion. Human dignity operates less as an enforceable norm and more as a guiding principle which legal actors resort to in a nonfunctional and noninstitutional manner. The chapter also looks at the substantive and functional dimensions of human dignity and asks what it would take for it to evolve into an enforceable legal norm with practical consequences in the Swedish legal system, which would require the sort of constitutional adjudication, academic discussion and public debate still lacking in Sweden.