Legal aspects of corporeality: the role and functions of the human body in public law

The article examines the multifaceted roles of the human body within the public legal framework. It distinguishes general social functions such as biological, political, social, and economic, along with specific legal functions: law-forming, law-modifying, law-terminating, law-confirming, law-hindering, and law-restoring. The author contends that the human body serves not merely as a biological entity but also as a socio-cultural construct that significantly influences legal regulation. The legal system establishes norms regarding physical inviolability, medical interventions, and labor activities, thereby shaping a legal discourse on corporeality. A complex interplay between the body and the law is observed, wherein physical attributes emerge as both objects of legal regulation and factors impacting the development of legal norms.