[Collective health, the new genetics, and market eugenics].
Due to constant advances in genetic manipulation, the field of public health is faced with the possible emergence of a reductionist genomic emphasis, beyond socio-cultural influences. Under such circumstances, the main focus of public health interventions would shift towards a genomic approach to "individuals" and their "families", to the detriment of their consecrated object - "populations", thereby moving away from the current central priority of efforts (and resources) aimed at reducing ill-health due to socioeconomic inequalities. Even admitting the benefits of genetic knowledge, a new eugenic practice may emerge from the availability of genetic tests on the marketplace aimed at individuals that can afford to consume them.
Cardoso
Maria Helena Cabral de Almeida
MH
Departamento de Genética Médica José Carlos Cabral de Almeida, Instituto Fernandes Figueira, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22250-020, Brasil. mhc@unisys.com.br
Castiel
Luis David
LD
D001675:Bioethics; D005053:Eugenics; D005823:Genetics; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D035503:Sociobiology