DOWNLOAD PDF GENETICS AND ETHICS

Abstract

Received Jan 28; Accepted May From Darwin through the Asilomar Conference and the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, much has been achieved, but much still remains to be done. The use of biological materials that are already being stored and the adequacy of new technologies, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats CRISPR , are some of the current challenges of this possible and necessary interaction. This paper will discuss some ethical aspects involved in current genetics. This change in understanding from obscure and dogmatic ideas intensified the debate between new knowledge and ancient traditions Lucas Scholars reflected on how to overcome this, as for example, Thomas Huxley with his conference on science, religion, and education Huxley Huxley made a comprehensive approach to these three aspects, without prejudices. Applying the biological knowledge generated by Darwin to explain social aspects, as in the case of Eugenia Galton , only increased the need for this reflection. During the same period, Gregor Mendel proposed his work Mendel , which made no further contributions to the discussion, perhaps because his focus was on plants. In the 20th century, some social applications of the theory of evolution were negative Stoddard , whereas others were positive Moreno The first one used genetics arguments to justify racism Stoddard , while the second integrated genetics with social perspectives Moreno In the late s, however, the possibility of changing this structure with the emergence of what was then called genetic engineering generated new questions. When this DNA alteration was possible, researchers were surprised by the mechanism they now had at their disposal and the risks associated with this manipulation. Led mainly by Paul Berg and David Baltimore, a group of scientists from a committee of the US National Academy of Sciences proposed a voluntary moratorium on research in this new area Berg et al. The Asilomar conference was attended by scientists mostly biologists, as well as medical doctors, and lawyers and 16 journalists. This conference was a milestone in the history of science, because scientists self-reflected on their own practices. The Asilomar document is a precursor of the precautionary principle, which originated in the thoughts of Albert Schweitzer Schweitzer , and was first used in the s Raffensperger and Tickner The precautionary principle states that any risk of serious or irreversible damage requires taking measures to prevent its occurrence. The challenges of research on human subjects had been discussed in light of the abuses committed during World War II, especially with the development of the Nuremberg Code in Trials of war criminal before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals This document contains a requirement that all participants authorize, through informed consent, their inclusion in research projects. In order to transform words into action, WMA proposed a second version of the Declaration of Helsinki, in , which proposed, among other things, creating research ethics committees that would review all research projects involving human subjects WMA The core of this proposal is not new; Thomas Percival, in , had already proposed that all new innovative applications in health first be discussed with other, more experienced, professionals Percival In , the National Institutes of Health created, with the same purpose, the first committee on recombinant DNA, based on proposals made at the Asilomar conference Hutt Regulatory aspects This reflection on the appropriateness of genetics research, by both scientists and society as a whole, generated the need for rules to guide scientific activity. Many other countries all around the world made efforts in the same direction. In Brazil, the first standards for health research were established in Brasil It is important to note that neither of these documents, the Belmont Report, Brazilian regulatory statement, or Oviedo Convention, mentioned genetics research. This regulatory document established eight special research areas that required local and national approval for their execution. Research in human genetics was the first special thematic area included in the document. Another special area in genetics was, specifically, cooperative research between researchers from Brazil and indigenous populations Brasil Later, more detailed and specific rules for these three special areas were also published Brasil ; ; Other documents also had repercussions for research in human genetics, such as those relating to storage of biological material Brasil The combination of review directives, regulatory