[The bioethics challenge of equity: its significance in public health].

This paper presents the bioethical discourse as a stimulus to dialogue between beliefs, ideologies, rationalities, and persons. Among its dominant themes, it may be distinguished between those related to communities and those related to individuals. Although equity belongs into the former, it finds expression in individual life as solidarity and empathy. It is possible to formulate guidelines for research in social science and epidemiology distinguishing between values, principles and behavior rules, which find expression in the notion that bioethical reflection must anticipate challenges and dangers and not simply respond to technoscientific developments.