KODEKS ETYKI LEKARZA WETERYNARII – WYBRANE PROBLEMY PRAWNE

Abstract

The Code of Ethics for Veterinary Surgeons (the Code), as a legal act of the selfgovernment within the profession in which the public repose confidence, should not go beyond the limits set by Article 17 of the Polish Constitution. Under this provision, the self-governments in professions of public confidence are to represent the practitioners and concern themselves with the proper practice of those professions in accordance with, and for the purpose of protecting, the public interest. Moreover, since the Code is a normative regulation of internal nature, it should be drawn up in line with the principles of legislative drafting and may not infringe the acts of universally binding law. The aim of this paper is to find out whether the Code conforms to the above assumptions. Special attention is drawn to the relations between the Code and the practice of the veterinary profession. The compliance of the Code with the Polish Constitution and other legal issues relating to the Code are also discussed. The paper concludes with proposed amendments that should be introduced to the Code.