Ethics and law: the legally incompetent individual as a bone marrow donor

Abstract

Organ donation is a question that unfolds into a myriad of controversial issues requiring to be addressed. Considering this context, the purpose of this study is to examine and give special attention to a particular topic: the legally incompetent bone marrow donor. The Brazilian legislation does not address this matter accordingly, ignoring the scientific advances on transplant techniques and dealing only superficially and without clarity with the ethical aspects involved. We carried out a review of the literature and legislation on the subject , as well as a survey of transplant reports and court decisions on organ donation. The analysis showed the need for further legal regulation on the matter.