Epigenetics and environmental bioethics
| Autor | Émilien Vilas Boas Reis - Bruno Torquato de Oliveira Naves |
| Cargo | Post doctorate in Philosophy at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto (Portugal). Doctor and Master of Philosophy at PUC-RS; Graduated in philosophy at UFMG. Professor of Philosophy and Philosophy of Law at the Undergraduate Program and the Master's in Environmental and Sustainable Development at Escola Superior Dom Helder Câmara (... |
| Páginas | 61-80 |
61
Veredas do Direito, Belo Horizonte, v.13 n.26 p.61-80 Maio/Agosto de 2016
EPIGENETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
BIOETHICS
Émilien Vilas Boas Reis
Post doctorate in Philosophy at the Faculty of Letters of the University of
Porto (Portugal). Doctor and Master of Philosophy at PUC-RS; Graduated
in philosophy at UFMG. Professor of Philosophy and Philosophy of Law
at the Undergraduate Program and the Master’s in Environmental and
Sustainable Development at Escola Superior Dom
Helder Câmara (Belo Horizonte - MG).
Email: mboasr@yahoo.com.br
Bruno Torquato de Oliveira Naves
Doctor and Master of Laws at PUC Minas. Professor at the Master’s in Environmental and
Sustainable Development at Escola Superior Dom Helder Câmara.
Coordinator at the Specialization Course in Urban and Environmental Law at PUC Minas Virtual.
Professor at the Law Undergraduate and Specialization Programs at PUC Minas and at Escola
Superior Dom Helder Câmara Researcher at CEBID – Center of Studies in Biolaw.
Email: brunotorquato@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Despite being a new area of scientic knowledge, Bioethics has developed
two main references that alternate temporally: a more global Ethics, as the
one defended by Potter, and the Georgetown model, which was limited to the
issue of Medical Ethics, revitalizing the practical Ethics. In the last decades,
a widening of Bioethics is being followed up and it came to be recognized as
a new transdisciplinary discipline that is inseparable from concerns about the
environment. The advancements of Genetics and the creation of Epigenetics
opened new paths to Bioethics. The interaction between the environment and
the structure of DNA became known, but modications that can be passed on
to the offspring without affecting the structure of the DNA were also discove-
red. This paper is dedicated to the analysis of the changes that can hereditarily
be passed on to future generations through the interference of the environ-
ment, from Rachel Yehuda et al’s recent article: Holocaust exposure induced
intergenerational effects on FKBP5 methylation. Yehuda’s study allowed for a
glimpse over what unfolds for the future of Bioethics, its new challenges and
issues and it also evidenced the fact that health and environment are in cons-
tant and inseparable connection.
Keywords: Bioethics; Genetics; Environment; Epigenetics.
http://dx.doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v13i26.863
EPIGENETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOETHICS
62 Veredas do Direito, Belo Horizonte, v.13 n.26 p.61-80 Maio/Agosto de 2016
EPIGENÉTICA E BIOÉTICA AMBIENTAL
RESUMO
Apesar de ser uma área recente do saber cientíco, a Bioética desenvolveu
duas referências principais que se alternaram temporalmente: uma Ética
mais global, como a defendida por Potter, e o modelo Georgetown, que se
limitou à questão da Ética Médica, revitalizando a Ética prática. Nas últimas
décadas, tem-se acompanhado um alargamento da Bioética, que passou a
ser reconhecida como nova disciplina, transdisciplinar e indissociável das
preocupações com o meio ambiente. Os avanços da Genética e a criação da
Epigenética inauguraram novos caminhos à Bioética. A interação do meio
ambiente com a estrutura do DNA passou a ser conhecida, mas também foram
descobertas alterações que podem ser passadas à descendência, sem que
tenha sido afetada a estrutura de DNA. Este trabalho dedica-se a analisar
essas alterações que podem ser passadas hereditariamente a gerações
futuras pela interferência do meio ambiente, a partir do recente artigo de
Rachel Yehuda et al: Holocaust exposure induced intergenerational effects
on FKBP5 methylation. O trabalho de Yehuda permitiu um vislumbre do que
se descortina para o futuro da Bioética, seus novos desaos e problemas e,
também, a comprovação de que saúde e meio ambiente estão em conexão
constante e inseparável.
Palavras-chave: Bioética; Genética; Meio Ambiente; Epigenética.
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