Revista Bioética

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Research • Rev. Bioét. 33 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-803420253731EN linkcopy

Ethical aspects of preimplantation genetic diagnoses and Brazilian law

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Advances in genetics have enabled research into preimplantation genetic diagnosis, leading to worldwide debates on ethical issues. In Brazil, the topic is only covered by resolutions of the Federal Council of Medicine, with no specific legislation, which unites medical genetics and biolaw. The objective of this study is to survey the ethical implications of this technique around the world and how Brazilian legislation deals with these issues. An integrative literature review was conducted on SciELO and Virtual Health Library databases, considering works published between January 2012 and December 2022. The following descriptors were used, in the English and Portuguese languages: “preimplantation diagnosis”/“diagnóstico pré-implantação” and “ethics”/“ética.” Despite the ethical debates, it was observed that the legal gaps on the subject are yet to be integrated to guide the use of the technique along paths that are not tied to the parents’ individualistic reasons.

Reproduction; Selective breeding; Morals; Genetics, medical; Jurisprudence

Authorship; year	Summary
López YM, Monreal PV; 2012 ⁷	Highlights technical aspects of PGD and raises bioethical, legal, religious, and social considerations of the technique.
Damian BB, Bonetti TCS, Horovitz DDG; 2015 ⁹	Examines official documents published on the PGD regulations in Brazil and demonstrates the little direct supervision of PGD that currently exists.
Malek J, Daar J; 2012 ¹²	Explores the possibility that parents should use PGD for the medical benefit of future children.
Martin AK, Baertschi B; 2012 ¹³	Analyzes the article “The case for a parental duty to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis for medical benefit” ¹² and proposes a harm-based approach in order to strengthen the duty view of PGD.
Appel JM; 2012 ¹⁴	Argues that, under certain conditions, the use of PGD is not only desirable as a means of reducing human suffering, but also an ethically required duty of parents towards a potential child.
Melo-Martín I; 2012 ¹⁵	Analyzes the non-specificity of the argument for the use of PGD to promote the well-being, self-determination, and reduction of inequalities of the selected children.
Brezina PR, Brezina DS, Kearns WG; 2012 ¹⁶	Reviews the technologies available in PGD testing and discusses risks, ethical considerations, appropriateness, and controversy surrounding its use in different clinical situations.
Hens K, Dondorp W, Geraedts J, Wert G; 2012 ¹⁷	Exposes possible questions that arise due to the possibility of selecting future children’s characteristics.
Goldsammler M, Jotkowitz A; 2012 ¹⁸	Analyzes the article “The case for a parental duty to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis for medical benefit” ¹² and suggests that the couple have autonomy when making reproductive choices, which must be informed, including the choice to undergo PGD.
Hens K and collaborators; 2013 ¹⁹	Discusses informed consent, decision-making power between the couple and fertility professionals regarding the use of PGD, and the choice of embryos for non-medical reasons.
Cirión AE; 2015 ²⁰	Analyzes the conflicting bioethical aspects, without forgetting the legal regulations on biotechnological practices linked to reproduction.
Whetstine LM; 2015 ²¹	Provides an overview of PGD and identifies relevant moral issues it raises.
Soniewicka M; 2015 ²²	Addresses the problem of disability in the context of reproductive decisions based on genetic information and analyzes different ethical approaches to the problem of the obligation of selective reproduction.
Jacobs BM; 2015 ²³	Explores solutions to the nonidentity problem and advocates a solution based on the concept of harm.
Pizzato BR and collaborators; 2017 ²⁴	Highlights the advantages of PGD in selecting embryos with healthy genes. It highlights the rapid evolution of the technique without the corresponding ethical debate. It defends the need for regulation to guide medical conduct.
Hodge C, Santos MJ; 2017 ²⁵	Shows that PGD is the subject of debate in several areas such as bioethics, law, and theological ethics.
Frati P and collaborators; 2017 ²⁶	Addresses ethical questions regarding the use of PGD and prenatal diagnosis, highlighting problems related to “nonexistence × life with disability.”
Ramos-Vergara P, Porte-Barreaux IR, Santos-Alcántara MJ; 2018 ²⁷	Describes the limits that some laws have considered when regulating this technique.
Soto-Lafontaine M, Dondorp W, Provoost V, Wert G; 2018 ²⁸	Addresses how professionals feel about the decision to perform PGD.
Magni SF; 2021 ²⁹	Evaluates different perspectives on the principle of procreative beneficence.

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E-mail: bioetica@portalmedico.org.br

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