2 Art. 1 para. 1 GG: Human Dignity

Abstract

This chapter discusses the duty of all state power to respect and protect human dignity as set out in Art. 1 para. 1 of the Grundgesetz (GG). It first explains the scope of state protection against violations of human dignity by citing the decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court in two cases, one concerning the Aviation Security Law and another concerning the constitutionality of life imprisonment. It then considers the benefits dimension of the guarantee of human dignity, in particular the individual's claim to the level of social support necessary to live in dignity (the so-called existence minimum). It also addresses the question of whether an interference with human dignity can ever be justified, and especially whether human dignity can be limited.